False: The Arizona election audit found "tens of thousands" of illegitimate ballots.

By: Shashi M
January 13 2022

Share Article:

The Arizona audit reaffirmed President Joe Biden's win and found no evidence of voter fraud, contrary to Former President Donald Trump's assertion. An investigation into the votes in Arizona began in response to Trump's and those who supported his claims of significant electoral fraud in the 2020 election results. On September 24, 2021, the result for the forensic analysis of Arizona's Maricopa County presidential election was published, reaffirming Biden's win. The election results corroborated that Trump lost to Biden by over 10,000 votes, ending the baseless voter fraud charges. In a letter to Arizona's Attorney General, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, the Republican, stated that paper ballots in Maricopa County provided the most substantial evidence of voter intent because they were monitored 24 hours by video surveillance and physical protection. No persuasive evidence was found which stated that they were altered in any way. The letter highlights that auditors spent millions of dollars and more than 100,000 hours scrutinizing ballots, voting equipment, and data trends. "Truth is truth, numbers are numbers," Reuters reported Fann saying during a Senate hearing on the review, which showed minor variations, giving Biden 99 more votes and Trump 261 less. The funds for the investigation were raised by groups who believed Trump won. The groups associated to "Stop the Steal" amassed nearly $6 million required to fund the investigation. Interestingly, Trump issued a statement proclaiming this "a big win for democracy and a big win for us," which appeared to differ from the outcomes of the Arizona investigation. Trump expected that the review would back up his allegations. Following the Maricopa County's review, Fann stated the state Senate was working on legislation to ensure an "unimpeachable electoral process." Despite the lack of evidence that the state's systems were penetrated, she advocated for reforms to the signature verification procedure for absentee ballots, voter roll upkeep, and cybersecurity. Democratic leaders expressed concern that Republicans would use the investigation as an excuse to pass laws restricting voting rights. After the Arizona audit, the Texas secretary of state's office on September 24 stated that it would conduct a complete and comprehensive forensic assessment of the 2020 election in four significantly populated counties. This also is seen as another move by people who still believe Trump won the presidential election.