By Yvonne Wingett Sanchez & Ronald J. Hansen | Arizona Republic
The ongoing spectacle of the Arizona ballot audit is raising political pressure, but it’s some Republicans who are feeling the squeeze.
The slow tally of 2.1 million Maricopa County presidential ballots has former President Donald Trump’s approval, but it is deepening divisions within the GOP and is helping fuel a Republican-led rollback of voting rights in other states.
It has riveted the attention of the former president, who is bent on overturning the results. And it has drawn concern from the U.S Justice Department, which is worried about the security of ballots and potential voter intimidation.
News of volunteers searching for evidence of conspiracies linked to bamboo fibers and ultraviolet lights has made Arizona the punch line in late-night comedy.
But the stakes of this exercise should not be downplayed, election experts warn.
