Arizona 'audit' becomes far-right campaign stop, fuels conspiracy that election can be overturned

Politicians have been trekking to Phoenix to visit the election "audit" in Arizona. Experts said they are perpetuating a disinformation campaign.

The so-called "audit" in Arizona of Maricopa County's 2020 general election ballots started as a court battle between the state Senate and the county board of supervisors. Since then, it has transformed into a full-fledged symbol of the GOP's stance on the election results. Officials claim that the point of the "audit," which was mandated through subpoenas issued by the Republican-controlled state Senate, is simply to put worries about a stolen election at bay. But rhetoric is dominated by calls to decertify the election -- which is impossible -- and renewed conspiratorial claims that the election was stolen. Over the past few weeks, Phoenix has become a political destination for Republicans, including sitting lawmakers and candidates from across the country. Lawmakers or candidates from at least 10 states have paid a visit to the "audit," according to the Arizona Republic. "I have a feeling when these results come out, the left is going to attack," former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who is now running for Senate, said. "Every step of this process is videotaped. Every single ballot is put on what's essentially a lazy susan and it goes around. And the three people who separately count the ballot, they look at it with their own eyes, they don't touch it, they look at it with their own eyes, they don't talk to each other, those ballots go around, and then they all check to make sure that they have the exact same count."