Nearly all election officials and election security specialists, along with the Republican election official in Maricopa and the county supervisors, dismiss the process as an amateurish fishing expedition, rooted in Trump’s baseless conspiracies regarding the 2020 election. As the Arizona review is now months late, it has become a mess.After being barred from the place where the review was taking place, Ken Bennett, an ex-Republican secretary of state in Arizona, threatened to quit. Later, he changed his mind and decided that he would stay. The state Senate is fighting to keep secret records that were ordered by a judge.Brandtjen visited Arizona earlier in the year and is now calling the process an audit. She stated that she is issuing subpoenas to begin a cyber-forensic audit on tabulators, as well as inspection of physical ballots, starting with the November 2020 fall election.Brandtjen issued subpoenas in Wisconsin to collect a broad range of materials. These include physical ballots, tabulation equipment, and forensic images.However, it is not yet clear if subpoenas were valid. In March, the state Assembly passed a resolution directing Brandtjen's investigation committee to investigate the election. The Wisconsin Legislative Council, however, wrote to a Democratic state representative in March that although the committee has the authority to investigate, subpoenas must still be signed by the speaker.Brandtjen posted subpoenas and sent a copy to one county. POLITICO reviewed the subpoena and found that it did not include Robin Vos, the state Assembly Speaker.Vos, a Republican has been critical of Brandtjen before and PBS Wisconsin reported she declined to comment on whether Vos supported the subpoenas. Vos spokesperson did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that Vos signature was not on the subpoenas.Brandtjen was recently criticised by the Wisconsin Elections Commission for spreading misinformation regarding the state's election.Vos has blessed an investigation that will examine the 2020 election. Vos is assisting her efforts. Vos also tapped an ex-state Supreme Court justice to serve as special counsel. A separate review is being conducted by the states Legislative Audit Bureau.Jeff Flynt (the Brown County deputy executive) confirmed that the subpoena had been received by the county clerk and stated that we are currently reviewing the subpoena.Trump supporters, encouraged by Trump himself, have attempted to spread Arizona-style ballot reviews throughout the country. They often cited Trump's lies about election manipulation or theft. State Senator Doug Mastriano, a close ally of Trump, is also trying his own effort in Pennsylvania.Recent investigations by Republican state senators from Michigan, another state which has been the focus of Trump's obsessions, have found no evidence of fraud. The report stated that "our clear finding is the citizens should have confidence the results reflect the true results of those who voted in Michigan." Trump later attacked the report's author.The Department of Justice issued a warning to all states that they are not allowed to conduct post-election audits or reviews of ballots. The department sent a memo stating that any state or local government that allows ballots to be mishandled from federal elections would be in violation of federal law.It is extremely rare to have an election audit. The Department is worried that some jurisdictions performing them might use or propose to use procedures that could violate the Civil Rights Act. This memo was published last week.
