After months of fighting efforts to audit the Arizona Republican Party’s January election, the AZGOP appears to have finally conceded to an audit this Friday at the offices of its attorneys.
The Party has reportedly promised that it would be providing all of the ballots and documents from the election for inspection and has been notifying candidates involved in the election about the upcoming opportunity to review them or observe the process.
Some Republicans hope that this will end the turmoil that has plagued the Party since late-January, after some 40 State Committeemen challenged the results of the election and were promised an audit. State Chairwoman Kelli Ward reversed that decision and said that there would be no audit, kicking off months of skirmishing. Even just a few weeks ago, speaking at an event in the West Valley, Ward reiterated that while there would be audits for future elections, she would not be allowing one of the January election.
“This is a good thing,” said one GOP State Committeeman, “we can’t have this dragging on forever and I think Ward realizes that most Republicans are not messing around with election integrity these days, so she is smart to just turn over everything and let the audit happen.”
Ward and many of her defenders, like State Executive Committee members Nancy Cottle, Dwight Kadar, Ian Murray, Richard Hopkins, Teressa Martinez, Michael Joyner, Tim Horn, Donna Tanzi and Shiree Verdone, have signed statements addressed to the GOP membership, testifying that the election was error-free, professionally run, and accurately reported, Friday will be everyone’s first chance to see for themselves.