The audit of 2020 Maricopa County election ballots continues at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Among other unexpected things, auditors have been seen using ultraviolet lights to examine paper ballots without being clear as to why.
One former lawmaker — and Donald Trump supporter — was revealed to be one of the auditors. After a photo of him was posted on Twitter, the reporter who took the photo was escorted out of the Coliseum.
Well, a man in a cowboy hat and a badge that said Wake TSI just came over, asked if I tweeted the picture of Anthony Kern, and when I said yes he escorted me out of the building and said my press privileges were “revoked”
— Ryan Randazzo (@utilityreporter) April 30, 2021
Concerns have been raised that the audit is simply a partisan effort to justify enacting further voter restrictions at the legislative level in the future.
As part of those concerns, the Brennan Center for Justice wrote a letter to Chris Herren, chief of the voting section of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, requesting monitors to observe the audit from an official capacity.
Elizabeth Howard is senior council for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Project. She came to the Valley as an audit observer over the weekend at the request of Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.
The Show spoke with Howard about her concerns.