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It is vital for us to listen to people’s concerns, to take them seriously, and to be open to closer examination when it comes to something as important as the right to vote. My constituents have reached out to me regarding Maricopa County’s voting system to verify that it is safe, reliable, and secure for election result outcomes. Confidence in elections has and always will be paramount to me. In December, I began to advocate for a 3rd party examination of the tabulation machines to further assure the general public that their votes are counted, serving to restore and maintain faith in our elections. Such a forensic audit would examine software and hardware questions, and claims of the ability to tamper with votes and outcomes.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors hired two independent firms, SLI Compliance and Pro V&V to do just that. These firms found that the configuration and setup of the tabulation equipment provided an accurate counting of ballots and reporting of election results. Auditors found no issues with equipment and software. Neither found evidence of hacking or vote switching. They found that the software and equipment functioned properly and had not been altered between the time it was federally certified and when it was used in the November election. Maricopa County’s tabulation equipment (Dominion Democracy Suite 5.5B) went through extensive testing and received federally accredited Election Assistance Commission certification.
The audits covered these categories:
Source code tests
This checked that the hardware and software is exactly the same as it was when originally federally certified. This is important because the certification involved tests to ensure the equipment did not allow for vote manipulation or external or backdoor access workarounds. Audits found that the software was certified and there was no evidence of tampering.
Malicious Software and Hardware Tests
No evidence that malicious software or hardware was found on the tabulators or system.
Network and Internet Connectivity Tests
Auditors found no issues with the closed secure network and there is no evidence of Internet connectivity.
Accuracy Tests
There was no evidence of vote switching. Auditors concluded that the equipment tabulated and adjudicated ballots accurately.
Maricopa County invited elected officials from different political parties or their designees to watch the audits take place. The public was also able to watch on live cameras streamed to the Recorder’s website.
This audit was specific to the machines and systems. At this time, the County and the Senate are waiting to hear from the judicial branch about the Senate’s request for the release of the ballots themselves.
Some of my constituents are concerned that we endeavored to do this additional audit, while some of my constituents feel it is not enough. My hope is that this completed forensic audit can assure the public that their votes are counted and secure, not only looking back, but looking to future elections as well. I believe it was necessary and right to address the questions that emerged following the 2020 elections, and I’m confident we did that thoroughly and with all Maricopa County voters in mind.
View the audit results here. For more information about the audit timeline and process in Maricopa County click here.
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