A simple solution in determining if there were any issues in Maricopa County, AZ during the 2020 presidential election would be to grant the Arizona Senate access to the ballots and the machines in order to conduct a forensic audit. Unfortunately, the Maricopa County board will not grant access to the necessary election equipment, claiming the materials are privileged.

Should a court side with the county, an Arizona Senate committee has come up with a backup plan: a proposal which states election equipment and ballots are not protected, which would enable the legislature to issue a subpoena.

The Miner reports:

The Republican-controlled county board has been fighting the Senate’s effort to get access to ballots and election machines since mid-December under a subpoena issued by lawmakers who have questioned President Joe Biden’s win in the state. The board maintains the ballots are secret under law and the state constitution and tabulation machines can’t be compromised by allowing uncertified people to examine them.

The board handed over reams of materials and is doing two audits of their own on the machines to ensure they accurately counted ballots and weren’t hacked.

The Senate fell one vote short of finding the board in contempt on Monday, just days after the county board asked a judge to quash the subpoenas.

Republican Senator Warren Peterson, who recently became chairman of the Judiciary Committee says the new proposal is an “insurance policy” should a judge rule against the Senate.

“They continue to hold the position that we don’t have the authority to investigate and audit the ballots and in this case the equipment,” Peterson said Tuesday. “So this makes clear what we already believe is the law.”

Charlie Kirk sat down with Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar yesterday and discussed the election results in the state and the ongoing audit efforts. Gosar believes there may be a 2-3 percent error rate in the counting of ballots in his state.