Member from Board of Supervisors response to the hearing

Steve Chucri, from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, responded to the “hearing” held by Senate President Karen Fann on Tuesday about the ballot audit. The Senate’s audit team accused the Maricopa County election officials of “illegally deleting files and other questionable improprieties.” 

The Board of Supervisors responded with a heated and terse denunciation, denying the allegation, and at one point, Chairman Jack Sellers called the audit a sham. The ballot audit has been put on hold so graduation ceremonies could take place at the Coliseum, but they are expected to resume.

The board members did not appear at yesterday’s Senate hearing. We asked why. He said it was a joint decision. He said he believes in having an audit but said they have come to a place and time where this is no longer an audit. He said it is turning into “a mockery.” Fann said she is not accusing them of anything and just wants answers. We asked what his thoughts are on that. He said he does not blame her for wanting answers, but the audit has been nothing but accusation after accusation. 

He talked about what came out about them conducting criminal activity was too far. He believes they responded correctly by being direct. They said files were deleted. He said they found the files and that they were never gone, they just needed to be led to them.

The board is refusing to hand over passwords to the senate audit they said.  Chucri said they can’t give them something they don’t have in their possession. He said they don’t have the passwords to give and cannot be more clear about it. 

We also talk about the chain of command before the audit. Chucri said it is ironic because their ballots came out of a vault and had a very trained process with proper procedures. He said people should be asking where the votes are right now, and the coliseum most likely does not have the technology to protect all of those ballots as they did.

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