Grand Canyon Times

Arizona Sen. Kelly Townsend (R-Mesa), chair of the Senate Government Committee, is awaiting the results of Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s investigation into the 2020 general elections to get a firm grasp on what is needed for state-level election reforms.

“We want assurances that the same handling of the 2020 election is not allowed and that voters feel confident about their vote being counted,” Townsend told the Grand Canyon Times. “Without the attorney general's results, it makes it more difficult to craft policy to fix every issue. We need his expedited efforts so that we can do a thorough job in time for the 2022 election season.”

Nearly all of the calls for recounting and re-examining Arizona's 2020 election results followed former President Donald Trump's false claims that he lost the Grand Canyon State due to voter fraud. Trump was the first GOP presidential candidate to lose Arizona since 1996.

In September, Brnovich’s office asked the Senate and officials with Maricopa County, which underwent a months-long forensics audit, for all documents related to the 2020 elections.

“The Arizona Attorney General's Office (AGO) has an Election Integrity Unit (EIU) that will thoroughly review the Senate's information and evidence,” the office said in a statement.

The office did not respond to a request asking when the investigation might be completed.

Just a few weeks into the 2022 session, the Senate Government Committee has already cleared legislation that establishes new security requirements for paper ballots, and one that mandates automatic recounts in elections where the margin of victory is less than 0.5%. Current law requires a recount when the margin is less than 0.1%.

In addition, Townsend has filed other bills, including one that ensures elections observers have a clear view of all election proceedings.  Another one requires special login credentials and frequently changed passwords for election officials.

In related news, Brnovich’s is heading a coalition of nine state attorneys general in the filing an amicus brief in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Berger v. North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP,  supporting a voter ID law in North Carolina.

"It is incumbent on public servants to stand up and defend laws when others cower to political pressure," Brnovich said in a statement. "I am proud that our recent win at the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ability of states to administer elections and pass laws to protect the results."