A truck is loaded with pallets of ballots from the 2020 Maricopa County election. They are ready to be delivered to the state Senate, according to a provision in a subpoena./Maricopa County photo
OPINION: Laurie Roberts | Arizona Republic
For two months, the Arizona Senate has been demanding that Maricopa County turn over the 2.1 million ballots cast in the November election.
Now, the Senate doesn’t know what to do with them.
If this is how the Republicans’ “full forensic audit” begins, get ready for a train wreck, Arizona.
Senate made a stink over subpoenas
Republican senators have been itching since November to get their hands on the ballots that delivered the state’s 11 electoral votes to Joe Biden.
Senators issued a pair of subpoenas on Dec. 15, demanding that the county turn over all ballots, voting machines and detailed information on every Arizona voter, among other things. On Jan. 12, Senate President Karen Fann issued a third subpoena ordering the county to deliver the ballots by 9 a.m. Jan. 13.
When the county refused, contending state law required that the ballots remain sealed in a secure county warehouse, the Senate actually came within one vote of tossing the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in jail.
