Recorder assisting firms in audit of Maricopa County tabulation equipment

PHOENIX — Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer is assisting the two firms the county board appointed to conduct an audit of its tabulation equipment from the 2020 election.

Richer said he was offering the firms whatever resources necessary in order to provide a thorough review of the equipment.

The Republican clarified that the two firms tapped for the audit aren’t staffed by voting software company Dominion, which serves the county.

Additionally, Richer said the firms are the only in the country certified by the National Institute for Standards and Technology and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to conduct the audit.

“Over the past few weeks, I’ve heard a number of mischaracterizations of the audit. I’m writing today to hopefully provide some clarity,” Richer said in a press release.

The audit plan calls for both firms to analyze the equipment’s hacking vulnerability, assure tabulators weren’t sending or receiving information over the internet and confirm that no vote switching occurred during the election.

The auditors are each spending at least a week in Arizona.

They will work under the observation of representatives from the state legislature, a security expert from the Recorder’s Office and a security expert from the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors also invited representatives from the Attorney General’s Office and the Governor’s Office to observe the audit.

“These tests address the most prevalent concern that I’ve heard from voters over the past four weeks and also the concern voiced to me by members of the Arizona Senate that the tabulation hardware and software used in Maricopa County is unreliable,” Richer said.

Follow @KTAR923