COLUMBUS, Ind. — Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, has joined a growing list of GOP lawmakers across the country to visit the site of a partisan audit that is reviewing the results of 2020 election contests that Republicans lost in Arizona’s most populous county.
On Friday, Lauer toured the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, where volunteers — mainly Republicans — have been hand-counting 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County and testing conspiracy theories about the election in what has become a rallying cry for supporters of former President Donald Trump who have refused to accept his loss in Arizona and other states.
The audit comes after these same ballots were counted by Maricopa County election officials in November, validated in a partial hand recount and certified by Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, The Associated Press reported. Two extra audits confirmed no issues with the outcome of the election.
The Republican-dominated Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has repeatedly said the election was fair and free of any problems.
The GOP-led state Senate used its subpoena power earlier this year to take possession of the ballots, the machines that counted them and other materials and turned them over to Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based consultancy with no election experience run by a man who has shared unfounded claims that President Joe Biden’s victory was not legitimate, according to wire reports.
The audit is recounting only the presidential race and the U.S. Senate contest, both won by Democrats, according to wire reports. Down-ballot races, where Republicans fared better, are not being reviewed.
Biden won Arizona by nearly 10,500 votes and won Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located, by just over 45,000 votes.
For the complete story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
