azaudit.org
By Jen Fifield | Arizona Republic
What to call the activity at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum this month?
It’s not an “audit,” according to many of those watching. It doesn’t meet the formal criteria, they say.
A better description would be a review or investigation — or, from some perspectives, “grift” or “clown show.” Some have taken to calling it a “fraudit.”
Sierra Vista resident Ben Eaddy is one of many Arizonans who say calling this exercise an audit “lends it an appearance of legitimacy it simply does not deserve.”
But many supporters of what the Arizona Senate’s contractors are doing say that this is an audit and should be called one. They believe that the multiple tests the county did before this to verify its election results should not be called “audits.”
Ah, partisanship. But those in the profession? They get the final say.
Most certified auditors contacted by The Arizona Republic, including accountants, internal auditors, and forensic auditors, say this is not an audit — or at least it doesn’t appear to be following the generally accepted standards for one, from the outside.
Professional auditors are impartial and objective, for example, they try to maintain a healthy working relationship with the entity they are auditing, and they do not release results early, said Laura Long, a former auditor for the Arizona Office of the Auditor General. None of this has been the case for the Senate contractors, she said.
“I’ve been calling it a partisan recount,” she said.
