Listen To Story Above
In a significant development following her swearing-in as Maricopa County Supervisor, former Congresswoman Debbie Lesko announced her intention to conduct a comprehensive audit of the county’s election system, citing strong constituent interest in the matter.
This marks a notable shift from previous county officials’ positions, who maintained that elections were conducted with integrity despite significant issues in recent contests. The announcement comes in the wake of the 2022 election, which saw widespread equipment failures affecting 60% of vote counting machines on election day, predominantly impacting Republican voters.
Former Congresswoman Debbie Lesko Calls for “Comprehensive Audit of Entire Election System” in Maricopa County After Being Sworn in as County Supervisor, Florida Secretary of State to be Consulted for Changes (VIDEO)
READ: https://t.co/CesIXQUXEH pic.twitter.com/Kn3t1pec68
— The Gateway Pundit (@gatewaypundit) January 9, 2025
The context of this decision includes the 2020 election’s forensic audit, which identified several irregularities in ballot handling procedures and verification processes. During her tenure in Congress, Lesko was among the 139 Republican representatives who opposed the certification of the 2020 election results.
The 2023 Senate election results have also raised questions, particularly regarding vote distribution patterns. Despite strong Republican performance in other races, including Trump’s 70,000-vote margin in Maricopa County and similar victories for other Republican candidates, Kari Lake faced an unexpected deficit exceeding 100,000 votes against Democratic opponent Ruben Gallego.
Adding to the complexity, Maricopa County’s chief election official filed a defamation lawsuit against Lake before the 2024 election. Court documents revealed the official’s self-described “anti-MAGA” stance and expressed intention to “make life hell for Kari Lake.”
While Board Chairman Thomas Galvin has expressed support for the audit, his previous defense of recent elections and appointment circumstances have raised concerns about his leadership in this initiative. Galvin’s appointment followed the resignation of Steve Chucri, who stepped down after audio recordings emerged suggesting concerns about election integrity.
The swearing-in ceremony included several Republican officials alongside Lesko, including Kate Brophy McGee, Mark Stewart, Thomas Galvin as Board Chair, and Justin Heap as County Recorder. Steve Gallardo remains the sole Democratic election official in the county.
During her inaugural speech, Lesko outlined her priorities, emphasizing election integrity. “Another priority is election integrity. It is very important to a lot of my constituents. I will be pushing and have talked to people about it for a comprehensive audit of the entire election system in Maricopa County from a reputable firm.”
Supervisor Debbie Lesko sworn in.
She says she will be pushing for a “comprehensive audit of the entire election system in Maricopa County from a reputable firm.” Says election integrity is one of her priorities. pic.twitter.com/zMMVaHrBkS
— Jen Fifield (@JenAFifield) January 6, 2025
She also mentioned preliminary discussions with state leadership: “I’ve already had a conference call; Tom and I have been on it with the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Arizona, and the Florida Secretary of State, where we have discussed the differences between the state’s election system and see if there’s any areas where we can improve.”
When questioned by 12 News’ Brahm Resnik about her previous objection to the 2020 election results, Lesko responded: “My motives are very pure. I want to make sure that everything is run right… The constituents want to make sure that our election system is reliable, and I am elected, and that was one of my promises, and that’s what I’m following up on.”
Galvin added: “We’re going to look at reputable companies that know what they’re doing that we can have them peek under the hood and say, you can do X, Y or Z better.”
