Covid Outbreak Delays Report on Arizona G.O.P.'s Election Review

Politics|A Covid outbreak delays a draught study connected Arizona Republicans’ wide criticized predetermination review.

• Published Aug. 23, 2021Updated Aug. 24, 2021, 10:37 a.m. ET

A draught study connected a much-ridiculed review of the 2020 predetermination results successful Arizona’s largest region has been delayed by a Covid-19 outbreak connected the squad preparing the analysis, the Republican president of the Arizona State Senate said connected Monday.

The president, Senator Karen Fann, said successful a connection that 3 radical connected the five-member squad were “quite sick,” including Doug Logan, the main enforcement of the Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas, that is successful complaint of the review.

A information of the draught was inactive acceptable to beryllium delivered to Ms. Fann connected Monday, but the remainder volition await the betterment of the 3 squad members. Lawyers for the State Senate volition statesman reviewing the partial draught connected Wednesday, Ms. Fann said, and much meetings volition beryllium required earlier the findings of the reappraisal are made public.

The connection offered nary hint of the contents of the partial draft. Mr. Logan and others progressive successful the reappraisal person antecedently claimed to person recovered irregularities successful the authoritative results of the November balloting, lone to spot those allegations debunked by predetermination officials.

Mr. Logan’s institution began reviewing 2.1 cardinal ballots and predetermination instrumentality from Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, successful April connected orders of the Republican bulk successful the State Senate. Ms. Fann has said that the reappraisal was conducted to code claims of elector fraud by supporters of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump, though nary grounds of wide fraud exists. She has besides said that President Biden’s narrow victories successful some the region and the authorities would stay authoritative careless of the findings.

Ms. Fann and different supporters of the reappraisal person argued that it was thorough and nonpartisan. But a scope of predetermination experts and the Republican-led enactment of Maricopa County have denounced the workout from the beginning, citing haphazard rules for handling and counting ballots arsenic good arsenic lax security.

Supporters’ claims of an impartial reappraisal person been broadly dismissed. Mr. Logan dispersed conspiracy theories of a rigged predetermination successful Arizona connected Twitter past year; his steadfast recruited unpaid workers for the reappraisal done Republican organizations; and virtually the full outgo of the workout has been shouldered by blimpish groups supporting Mr. Trump.

On Monday, Ms. Fann said the draught study had been further delayed due to the fact that images of mail-ballot envelopes that had been demanded from Maricopa County predetermination officials were delivered lone connected Thursday. A last study volition beryllium released, she said, lone aft a last gathering “to proceed checking for accuracy, clarity and impervious of documentation of findings.”