Two Republicans from Arizona on their fight for election facts – 60 Minutes
In Arizona, the gubernatorial race and statewide race are tight with two weeks to go before Election Day. Recent polls show Republican Kari Lake narrowly ahead of Democrat Kathy Hobbs for the state’s next governor. Hobbs, the current Arizona secretary of state, will be replaced by either Democrat Adrian Fontes or Republican Mark Finchem.
In both races, Republican candidates challenged the accuracy of the 2020 presidential election during the campaign. As a correspondent for “60 Minutes”. Scott Pelley said on Sunday, to date, no credible evidence has been presented in Arizona to support claims of widespread voter fraud.
Attorney General Mark Brnovich is the person in charge of investigating allegations of election fraud in Arizona. Brnovich, a lifelong Republican, voted for Mr. Trump in 2020 and spoke to 60 Minutes in detail about his position investigated leads coming into his office.
“There was no one in this country who wanted to find evidence of fraud more than I,” Brnovich Peli said. “But I thought it was important to look systematically and say no, these are the facts, these are the evidence, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you’re a real prosecutor, if you’re a real government, , there’s a higher duty — you can’t afford be sloppy.”
Brnovich told 60 Minutes that his office has been investigating allegations of dead people voting, vote-rigging in Pima County and many other claims about the 2020 election. The attorney general said none of the investigations found widespread voter fraud in Arizona.
That conclusion was echoed by Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates. As chairman, Gates is responsible for helping oversee elections in Arizona’s most populous county. The lifelong Republican told 60 Minutes that those who deny the election should learn about the vote-counting process.
“I don’t have a problem with people asking questions,” Gates explained to 60 Minutes. “I have a problem with people asking questions in bad faith. And when we answer these questions clearly and when we debunk these conspiracy theories, election deniers continue to spread lies. That’s what I have a problem with.’
After the 2020 election, Maricopa County hired two companies certified by the United States Election Assistance Commission to conduct forensic audits of vote tallying equipment. They published independent evaluations online. The audit found the machines were accurate, never connected to the Internet, and showed no evidence of tampering.
In an effort to ensure transparency during the 2022 midterm elections, the Maricopa County Department of Elections has live video channels for the public to observe the electoral process. This includes ballot box and tally center streams.
Gates told 60 Minutes he wants to avoid an election cycle similar to the 2020 election cycle, and hopes the transparency measures Maricopa County is taking will give people confidence in the accuracy of the 2022 midterm elections, regardless of the outcome.
“This democracy is in danger,” Gates said. “We need elections to make people feel good and confident. That’s why my colleagues and I are telling the truth here, telling the details of our electoral system. [And] all the security measures we have, all the tests, all the audits, so people can be sure. Because, unfortunately, people who don’t know much about elections continue to spread falsehoods, and this is ripping the foundations of our democracy.”
You can watch Scott Pelley’s full report on the 2022 Arizona midterm elections below.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arizona-republicans-election-facts-60-minutes-2022-10-30/