Republican Arizona State Senator Eddie Farnsworth issued two subpoenas to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors earlier this week, which were both approved by State Senate President Karen Fann. These subpoenas followed a six-hour hearing of the State Senate’s Judiciary Committee, in which, Senator Farnsworth, who is the Judiciary Committee Chairman, asked for information and data necessary to conduct a forensic audit of the Dominion machines that were used in the November 3 election in Maricopa County.
The Supervisors deliberated for two days – much of it behind closed doors in Executive Session, which is used when government entities ask for advice from legal counsel. For that reason, we do not know what was discussed. When they finally returned to public view, they announced that they would not comply with the subpoenas from the State Senate. Instead, they are instructing the County Attorney to file a complaint in Superior Court and to send a letter to the State Senate announcing their intent to resist the subpoenas.
If the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors want to reassure the public that we have free, fair, and honest elections, where every legal vote is counted, they are sure going about it in an unorthodox way.
Senator Eddie Farnsworth is one of our most highly respected legislators. He is both an attorney and an educator. When I served in the State Senate, Farnsworth was serving as the head of the Judiciary Committee in the State House. This is a man who does not act on a whim or based on emotion; members from both parties admire his integrity and intellect.
Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo, a Democrat, said as much at the end of the meeting after announcing his intention to ignore the subpoenas. He served on the State House Judiciary Committee when Eddie Farnsworth was Chair. He acknowledged that he too respected Farnsworth. Yet, somehow, when it came to this matter of election integrity and transparency, he said that he was disappointed in Farnsworth because he apparently “…knows better.”
I also served in the State Legislature when Supervisor Gallardo was a State Representative. I respect him as I do all the Maricopa County Supervisors. But I am confused as to what Senator Farnsworth is supposed to “know better” about. Senator Farnsworth is following through on his responsibilities as an elected official to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Arizona State Constitution.
Taking measures to reassure the public about our election processes should not be controversial. A forensic audit would go a long way toward making sure the public knows what happened in this election. And if nothing untoward happened, as Maricopa County officials contend, an audit is the best way to prove it.
The decision to delay an audit and resist appropriate, transparent measures by suing the State Legislature, will only further fuel distrust and speculation among voters. At a time when Americans and Arizonans need more, not less trust, in their government institutions, this was a step backwards. We need more openness and clarity from our elected officials. The actions taken by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is the exact opposite.
Dr. Kelli Ward is a family physician, two-term Arizona state senator, and the chairwoman of the Republican Party of Arizona. On Twitter: @KelliWardAZ