Brnovich gives update to Fann on AG’s investigation into Maricopa County election procedures

PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich on Wednesday provided an initial update to Senate President Karen Fann on his office’s investigation into election procedures stemming from the 2020 election in Maricopa County.

Brnovich, in a letter to Fann, alleged that the investigation uncovered “serious vulnerabilities” regarding election procedures but provided no evidence that the results from the state’s most populous county were altered by widespread fraud.

The 12-page letter runs through potential improvements the county can make with document preservation, early voting signature verification and more.

“As our state’s chief law enforcement officer, I am very concerned by any potential vulnerabilities in our state’s election systems,” Brnovich said.

Fann applauded the update.

“Today is a historic day for voter integrity in Arizona,” Fann said in a statement. “We’ve wanted an entity with prosecutorial authority to validate the missteps our audit revealed and this interim report does just that.”

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer responded to the update, affirming that it didn’t detail any evidence of widespread fraud.

Maricopa County has a website refuting allegations of election impropriety in detail.

“But most importantly, it, rightfully, doesn’t say anything about a stolen election or unlawful acts by election workers,” Richer, also a Republican, said in a series of tweets.

Republican Bill Gates, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, in a joint statement with Richer, said they’ve spent nearly eight months cooperating with Brnovich’s office.

“Our election professionals have worked day and night to gather the information responsive to both Mr. Brnovich’s civil and criminal inquiries, all while running two safe, secure, and accurate jurisdictional elections during that time period,” the statement read.

Brnovich’s update came six months after the conclusion of the state Senate’s audit of 2020 election results in Maricopa County, of which the result was similar to those certified by state officials a year and a half ago.

Brnovich, who is running for U.S. Senate in Arizona as a Republican, was present Nov. 30, 2020, and signed the state canvass documents that certified the election results in Arizona.

Pressure from Donald Trump over investigating the accuracy of the 2020 election has mounted for Brnovich, who is looking to unseat Democrat Mark Kelly this fall.

“Public confidence in the fairness of elections is paramount,” Brnovich said. “As elected officials, we can, and must do better for our constituents.

“Whether we agree with peoples’ reasons for questioning election integrity or not, we should go above and beyond our call of duty to assure Americans that each legal vote was counted and no illegal votes were allowed.”

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