Away we go in the #azsenate, where Cyber Ninjas and other contractors are going to present their findings from a GOP-led election review in Maricopa County. 
Senate President @FannKfann said of the main finding from the the review (that @POTUS beat Donald Trump in Maricopa County) in a draft report leaked last night: "That is a true statement. That is a true statement."
@FannKfann also claims that Maricopa County violated Arizona election law and procedures, and says today's report will detail those claims.
About the same time @FannKfann made this claim on the Senate floor, @AZSenateGOP released a letter to @GeneralBrnovich raising issues that "merit the attention of your office."
The first to present is Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai, an election conspiracy theorist, who reviewed voter signatures on early ballot envelopes. azcentral.com/story/news/pol…
Arizona verifies early votes by those signatures.
Arizona verifies early votes by those signatures.
The #azsenate gallery is full of reporters and audit supporters. There’s also a decent crowd in the lobby watching on TVs.
One reason it was helpful to get a leaked copy of the Cyber Ninjas report -- it gave the public time to vet their claims before contractors are given a platform in the #azsenate to frame those findings one way or another.
We don't have that luxury with Dr. Shiva.
We don't have that luxury with Dr. Shiva.
We haven't gotten to the Cyber Ninjas presentation yet, but as I mentioned, everyone has had time to digest the draft report leaked last night.
Maricopa County, which has opposed/fought this process, has some thoughts:
Maricopa County, which has opposed/fought this process, has some thoughts:
https://twitter.com/maricopacounty/status/1441490472430489615
This pretty well encapsulates the issue with giving a platform to these claims in this manner. As @FannKfann said, this is a presentation only -- no questions, no public comment, no scrutiny.
Maricopa County has an explanation for what Dr. Shiva describes as "scribbles" or blank early ballot envelopes that were verified by county officials.
https://twitter.com/maricopacounty/status/1441501752495259655
As he raises concerns about "questionable" signatures verifications, blanks and scribbly lines, Dr. Shiva keeps saying, dismissively, "perhaps there's an explanation for this."
Election experts have an explanation for this:
Election experts have an explanation for this:
https://twitter.com/aztammyp/status/1441501894334025733
Dr. Shiva also noted that more "anomaly" signatures start getting verified the further you get away from election day. Sure looks troublesome, right?
Election experts have an explanation for that, too
Election experts have an explanation for that, too
https://twitter.com/aztammyp/status/1441502645609328641
Again, these "anomalies" -- a record of two-to-three early ballot envelopes and a record of one being approved by Maricopa County, have explanations.
https://twitter.com/maricopacounty/status/1441502853583966210
More fundamental misunderstandings of election records in Maricopa County.
https://twitter.com/Garrett_Archer/status/1441504286911860738
This is noteworthy:
https://twitter.com/KyungLahCNN/status/1441502320676655104
Dr. Shiva just claimed that Maricopa County's signature verifications are "unverifiable." It got a chuckle from the gallery, but it's absurd.
https://twitter.com/maricopacounty/status/1441432619179151373
Dr. Shiva is finished. @FannKfann notes that his report will be uploaded online "as soon as we can get them uploaded." I haven't been told where, exactly, that will be.
An "unredacted" version will be sent to the attorney general's office, she said.
An "unredacted" version will be sent to the attorney general's office, she said.
Next up, Doug Logan, the CEO of Cyber Ninjas and the lead contractor on this GOP-led election review.
Cyber Ninjas' draft report was leaked yesterday. @kjzzphoenix has it for you to read for yourself: kjzz.org/content/171931…
Cyber Ninjas' draft report was leaked yesterday. @kjzzphoenix has it for you to read for yourself: kjzz.org/content/171931…
Logan begins by repeating much of what he presented in July -- a rundown of procedures for the recount. Not everything went according to plan:
https://twitter.com/jeremyduda/status/1441509596095410178
For those saying this is the end, it is not the end.
https://twitter.com/Garrett_Archer/status/1441511007143153664
I'm struck by the fact that Logan spent so much time detailing the processes/procedures for the hand recount of nearly 2.1 million ballots case in Maricopa County, but skipped right over the results of the recount. Maybe he'll circle back.
OK, here's the gist from Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan on the presidential hand recount results: "These are all very small discrepancies. So we can say that the ballots that were provided to us to count in the coliseum very accurately (reflect) the canvass numbers."
ICYMI, Joe Biden won the popular vote in Maricopa County, Arizona.
https://twitter.com/ben_giles/status/1441512553755017219
More trouble ahead from the Cyber Ninjas presentation, based on another errant assumption of Maricopa County's election records:
https://twitter.com/Garrett_Archer/status/1441513582647119874
Logan is now fact-checking himself in real time. He claims Maricopa County waited until the last minute to answer his question about this "discrepancy."
https://twitter.com/ben_giles/status/1441513951548739586
I'd like to ask if Maricopa County directly responded to his questions -- that's what he makes it sound like -- or if he just read one of @maricopacounty's tweets. But no questions are allowed today...
This whole election review process has driven a wedge among @AZGOP members.
https://twitter.com/yvonnewingett/status/1441515911513395200
Doug Logan is taking a break, and passing the mic to Ben Cotton, who will present on his analysis of Maricopa County's voting systems/equipment.
Cotton tees up a legislative debate that'll start in earnest in January, when #azleg is back. He says he hopes the findings will be turned into "meaningful legislation." Critics have been warning about that for months: npr.org/transcripts/10…
Of course, whether or not his findings actual require "actionable" legislation -- basically, are there actually issues to fix? -- will be challenged by @maricopacounty, to be sure.
A rebuttal of one of the few definitive claims made during Doug Logan's presentation.
https://twitter.com/maricopacounty/status/1441470631787200514
Cotton notes that @FannKfann reached an agreement with Maricopa County that may provide some answers, though not direct access, to the county's routers, which he still claims are absolutely necessary to complete this election review.
I'm stepping out for a minute to brief @kjzzphoenix and @npratc listeners on what we've learned so far. Listen live here: kjzz.org
I'm back, in time to catch Trump's reaction:
https://twitter.com/ZachCrenshaw/status/1441526892893388801
Cotton is wrapping up. In sum, he were the election systems secure? He says, "they were not.
Suffice it to say other IT experts and @maricopacounty strongly disagree.
Suffice it to say other IT experts and @maricopacounty strongly disagree.
For example, here Maricopa County responds to Cotton's claim about election systems being connected to the internet:
https://twitter.com/maricopacounty/status/1441529885722251269
Back to Logan, who's presenting a series of recommendations for changes to election law: From updates to the voter rolls to election software requirements.
Not a great start -- Logan's first slide of recommendations is a list of things @maricopacounty and other county election officials already do.
https://twitter.com/ben_giles/status/1441531358103289860
Here's another one: Doug Logan recommends the legislature create an "Election Audit Department" that conducts audits in various counties on a rotating basis.
Basically, 'let's do this again sometime.'
Basically, 'let's do this again sometime.'
He's also recommending "special" paper be used as ballots, like paper with watermarks or other identifying features. GOP lawmakers passed teeing up those "anti-fraud" features in the future, though as of now they're not required.
Logan ends by recommending, to much applause from the gallery, eliminating mail voting in Arizona.
He acknowledges that's unlikely -- it's the most popular voting method in the state, and has been used for decades.
He acknowledges that's unlikely -- it's the most popular voting method in the state, and has been used for decades.
Randy Pullen just gave a presentation of the machine recount of BALLOTS. Not the votes on those ballots, just a tally of the number of ballots.
It was a near perfect match.
It was a near perfect match.
Ken Bennett, who's been on the outs from time to time with other contractors and @AZSenateGOP leaders, is now citing a bunch of state laws that it's "possible" Maricopa County violated. This is all based on Logan's unsubstantiated concerns.
.@brahmresnik has details on charges made from the time a draft report was leaked last night to the final report presented this afternoon:
https://twitter.com/brahmresnik/status/1441525113254408197
.@FannKfann on what happens next: "We are asking @GeneralBrnovich to open a formal investigation." She mentioned the letter sent to the AG, which includes reports and accusations (unsubstantiated) that election laws/procedures were broken.
.@FannKfann makes clear she hopes this is not the last "Arizona audit."
"We need to do audits, to some extent. We need to do bigger audits on every election to make sure everyone is following the rules.”
"We need to do audits, to some extent. We need to do bigger audits on every election to make sure everyone is following the rules.”
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