A judge in Arizona Friday ordered a temporary pause in an extensive effort to recount ballots from the November election hours after the process began, citing concerns about whether a private vendor hired to review nearly 2.1 million ballots cast in the state’s largest county is complying with state laws governing election security.
The recount of the ballots from Maricopa County is being conducted by Republicans in the state Senate to examine unsubstantiated claims that fraud or errors tainted President Biden’s win.
Election officials and the courts
have found no merit to such allegations, and the GOP-led county board of supervisors has objected to the recount.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Christopher Coury on Friday paused the audit beginning at 5 p.m. Friday until Monday at noon in response to a suit
filed by the state Democratic Party and the county’s only Democratic supervisor, who argued that the audit violates Arizona rules governing the confidentiality and security of ballots and voting equipment.