The Department of Justice shares its concerns with an Arizona Senate audit, Recount: NPR

In a letter to the President of the Arizona Senate, a US Department of Justice official expressed concerns that the scrutiny and recount in the November elections in Maricopa County may be outside of compliance with federal laws.

Pamela Carlan, senior deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, wrote Wednesday that federal officials are seeing two issues in the election review ordered by the Republican-led Senate.

Ballot papers, voting systems, and other electoral materials are no longer in the possession of election officials – a potential violation of federal law, which requires state and local election officials to store and protect federal voting records.

The 2.1 million ballot in Maricopa County includes races for federal office, such as the presidential and US Senate elections that are being recounted.

Republicans have summoned ballot papers and other election materials in the Arizona Senate, first in December and again in January. After a judge upheld the power to summon the Senate, Senate Speaker Karen Phan handed the election materials to private companies led by Cyber ​​Ninjas, a Florida-based cybersecurity firm whose critics say is ineligible for the 2020 election review.

“We have a concern that the Maricopa County election records, which federal law requires to be preserved and preserved, are no longer under the ultimate control of election officials, are not adequately protected by contractors, and are at risk of damage or loss, Karlan’s books.

Door-to-door voting plans may also violate federal laws aimed at preventing voter intimidation.

The Senate contract with Cyber ​​Ninjas stipulated that companies plan “to identify voter registrations that did not make sense, then knock on doors to confirm whether legitimate voters actually lived at the state address.” The auditors also plan to ask voters for their voting date to determine “whether an individual has voted at.” [November 2020] election.”

“Past experiences with similar investigative efforts across the country have raised concerns that they could be directed at minority voters, which could implicate the anti-intimidation prohibition stipulated in the Voting Rights Act,” Carlan wrote. “These investigation efforts could have a significant intimidating effect on eligible voters that could deter them from seeking to vote in the future.”

Karlan asked Fann to provide details about the steps the Arizona Senate would take to ensure that these federal laws are not violated.

A spokesman for Fun did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The letter followed A. Request By the Brennan Center for Justice and Voting Rights Organizations, who wrote to the Department of Justice on April 29 asking them to send in federal observers to monitor the vetting and recount process.

Her re-screening efforts Too late for the deadlineIt is not clear when their work will be completed. Fan’s appointed election review coordinator Ken Bennett told reporters earlier that their work will end by May 14 – when companies are contractually obligated to vacate the Veterans’ Memorial Runway, as the recount and scrutiny is taking place.

Bennett now says there is no deadline for completing the recount, and that the companies involved will take their time “to get it right.”

This work will likely end in a place other than the Colosseum. State official He said to the Arizona Republic It is not feasible to extend the lease to the Senate.

This was the story in the original Published By KJZZ in Arizona.