Not to political parties. Not to candidates. And certainly not to corporations.
AUDIT USA has developed ballot image auditing instructions and tools to ensure transparency in the 2020 election. We must know that votes are counted correctly!
AUDIT is fighting nationwide — and especially in key states and counties — to have local election officials implement specific steps for this November’s elections that will bring transparency to the 2020 election vote tabulation process. This is one area of focus among many for the individuals and organizations fighting to maintain and strengthen the foundation of our democracy. To learn more about the many efforts underway to protect our rights to elect our leaders, or to volunteer in these efforts, please visit Scrutineers.org. Scrutineers trains volunteers and then connects them with others in their communities, including how to do ballot image auditing.
You can help the United States have transparent and publicly verified elections.
If you would like to learn more about ballot image auditing, or would like to financially support this work, read on!
AUDIT USA’s work often entails filing lawsuits against election officials who do not follow federal requirements to maintain election materials — including scanned ballot images — for 22 months. Many lawyers assist us at no cost, but we must raise funds to cover filing fees and other expenses. You can support ballot image auditing by making a contribution.
You can read detailed information about ballot image auditing by selecting any of the options under “Ballot Image Project” in the menu at the top. And learn more about AUDIT USA.
We post updates on our current work on the AUDIT USA Facebook page. Below are our three most recent posts.
Vote counting is not a matter of left or right, but of right or wrong!
Please watch and share this video link to the Thursday March 23rd Senate Committee of the Whole meeting, where the debate on Senate Bill 1324 took place. As a lifelong member of Arizona's Democratic Party, which is traditionally known for fully believing in open government, it appears that the party is struggling to understand the benefits of this bill. The video is 57 minutes long, and Senator Ken Bennett does an excellent job of explaining the bill. Despite the Democrats repeatedly arguing with the same misinformed points, Senator Ken Bennett responded with civility and facts. Watch the video to learn more about "Ballot Images: Verifying the Results Are True." AZ Senate Debate #SB1324 on: youtu.be/mZP-_BaHl_8
As a party that traditionally believes in open government, they appear to be terrified of releasing more information for fear that it will be abused and misused. However, their inability to see the benefits of transparency in this case is a tragedy unto itself. Presently, the public has to trust election officials when they state that there were no problems, and that the election results are accurate. The traditional hand-count audit, touted by election officials, is not statistically significant and is fatally flawed due to being severely out of date. In contrast, SB1324 would make ballot images and Cast Vote Records publicly available so anyone can verify the results for themselves. These records are anonymous but are the source documents for the election that can truly verify results. When everyone has access to accurate information, false election claims cannot stick.
These two short videos make the point better than we can write in this report on why ballot images are so important, and why they may be the most persuasive evidence one can present to verify election results:
CLOSE ELECTIONS - CONVINCING THE LOSER: vimeo.com/757275436
SEE THE VOTE – FIGHT DISINFORMATION: vimeo.com/757284892
Democrats are allowing fear to stand in the way of reason. It is clear from many of their comments that they do not understand the power of the ballot images and Cast Vote Records to convince everyone, including the loser of an election, that the winner actually won, and the loser actually lost. Anyone who views these records should be convinced. And if the losers are grifters and refuse to stand down, their followers will be convinced when the truth hits them in the face.
One of the things that has worried Democrats is that this bill was introduced by Republicans, which has set off alarm bells and fears of being sabotaged. However, Senator Ken Bennett, former Arizona Secretary of State, is the bill's sponsor. When he was SOS, Bennett was known for reaching across the aisle for bipartisan solutions. He is operating the same way as a Senator. Bennett and his transparency team (mostly democrats) believes that SB1324 will help achieve the teams’ goal of transparent, trackable, and publicly verified elections in the state. But Democrats, blinded by fear, are paranoid that this bill is just some kind of Republican trick, which it is not. Former Rep. Ted Downing PhD calls this” the big lie killer.”
Unfortunately, some Democratic Groups, such as Jenny Guzman from “Common Cause Arizona” and Alex Gulotta from “All Voting is Local,” express a belief that making these records public will facilitate chaos. Here is our thoughtful reply: bit.ly/40nCQGf
We attempted to reach out to both groups regarding the bill but have not received any response. However, I recently received a call from a representative of Creosote Partners, a public relations lobbying firm that represents Jenny Guzman. The caller identified herself as a “professional lobbyist” and we briefly discussed the matter before she abruptly hung up the phone.
If presenting the facts and advocating for transparency is considered crossing a line, then I stand guilty for defending the truth. Transparency is essential to maintaining trust in our democracy, and without it, our democracy will wither away in darkness.
It is through honest and open communication that we can hope to achieve the kind of transparent, accountable government that our democracy depends on.
I again appeal to both Jenny Guzman and Alex Gulotta and ask for a zoom to meet with our team of distinguished fellow Democrats. Link to the revised bill with a letter and our team members list: bit.ly/3TnCDkc
Democrats should not let fear stand in the way of reason. The public release of these records will calm political turmoil in the state, as stated by Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who is an enthusiastic supporter of the bill. Senator Bennett, the bill's sponsor, is committed to achieving transparent, trackable, and publicly verified elections in the state.
Please watch and learn about: "Ballot Images: Verifying the Results Are True." Yavapai DEMOCRATS Third Thursday ZOOM - Guest John Brakey - AUDIT USA, Transparency is the currency of trust: youtu.be/oaZyLZmVHDw
Hope, Peace, and democracy
John Brakey
JohnBrakey@gmail.com
Please watch and share this video link to the Thursday March 23rd AZ Senate Committee of the Whole" where the debate on Senate Bill 1324 took place. As a lifelong member of Arizona's Democratic Party, which is traditionally known for fully believing in open government, it appears that the party is struggling to understand the benefits of this bill. The video is 57 minutes long, and Senator Ken Bennett does an excellent job of explaining the bill. Despite the Democrats repeatedly arguing with the same misinformed points, Senator Ken Bennett responded with civility and facts. Watch the video to learn more about "Ballot Images: Verifying the Results Are True." AZ Senate Debate #SB1324 on: youtu.be/mZP-_BaHl_8
As a party that traditionally believes in open government, they appear to be terrified of releasing more information for fear that it will be abused and misused. However, their inability to see the benefits of transparency in this case is a tragedy unto itself. Presently, the public has to trust election officials when they state that there were no problems, and that the election results are accurate. The traditional hand-count audit, touted by election officials, is not statistically significant and is fatally flawed due to being severely out of date. In contrast, SB1324 would make ballot images and Cast Vote Records publicly available so anyone can verify the results for themselves. These records are anonymous but are the source documents for the election that can truly verify results. When everyone has access to accurate information, false election claims cannot stick.
These two short videos make the point better than we can write in this report on why ballot images are so important, and why they may be the most persuasive evidence one can present to verify election results:
CLOSE ELECTIONS - CONVINCING THE LOSER: vimeo.com/757275436
SEE THE VOTE – FIGHT DISINFORMATION: vimeo.com/757284892
Democrats are allowing fear to stand in the way of reason. It is clear from many of their comments that they do not understand the power of the ballot images and Cast Vote Records to convince everyone, including the loser of an election, that the winner actually won, and the loser actually lost. Anyone who views these records should be convinced. And if the losers are grifters and refuse to stand down, their followers will be convinced when the truth hits them in the face.
One of the things that has worried Democrats is that this bill was introduced by Republicans, which has set off alarm bells and fears of being sabotaged. However, Senator Ken Bennett, former Arizona Secretary of State, is the bill's sponsor. When he was SOS, Bennett was known for reaching across the aisle for bipartisan solutions. He is operating the same way as a Senator. Bennett and his transparency team (mostly democrats) believes that SB1324 will help achieve the teams’ goal of transparent, trackable, and publicly verified elections in the state. But Democrats, blinded by fear, are paranoid that this bill is just some kind of Republican trick, which it is not. Former Rep. Ted Downing PhD calls this” the big lie killer.”
Unfortunately, some Democratic Groups, such as Jenny Guzman from “Common Cause Arizona” and Alex Gulotta from “All Voting is Local,” express a belief that making these records public will facilitate chaos. Here is our thoughtful reply: bit.ly/40nCQGf
We attempted to reach out to both groups regarding the bill but have not received any response. However, I recently received a call from a representative of Creosote Partners, a public relations lobbying firm that represents Jenny Guzman. The caller identified herself as a “professional lobbyist” and we briefly discussed the matter before she abruptly hung up the phone.
If presenting the facts and advocating for transparency is considered crossing a line, then I stand guilty for defending the truth. Transparency is essential to maintaining trust in our democracy, and without it, our democracy will wither away in darkness.
It is through honest and open communication that we can hope to achieve the kind of transparent, accountable government that our democracy depends on.
I again appeal to both Jenny Guzman and Alex Gulotta and ask for a zoom to meet with our team of distinguished fellow Democrats. Link to the revised bill with a letter and our team members list: bit.ly/3TnCDkc
Democrats should not let fear stand in the way of reason. The public release of these records will calm political turmoil in the state, as stated by Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who is an enthusiastic supporter of the bill. Senator Bennett, the bill's sponsor, is committed to achieving transparent, trackable, and publicly verified elections in the state.
Please watch and learn about: "Ballot Images: Verifying the Results Are True." Yavapai DEMOCRATS Third Thursday ZOOM - Guest John Brakey - AUDIT USA, Transparency is the currency of trust: youtu.be/oaZyLZmVHDw
Hope, Peace, and democracy
John Brakey
JohnBrakey@gmail.com
Please watch, learn and Share. "Ballot Images: Verifying the Results Are True." Yavapai DEMOCRATS THIRD Thursday ZOOM - Guest John Brakey. Get the facts on AZ SB1324. In the editorial by Jenny Guzman of Common Cause AZ and Alex Gulotta of All Voting is Local AZ, also express a belief that making these records public will facilitate chaos. We drafters of SB1324 deem just the opposite is true.
When vital election records are kept secret, they say, it allows false claims to be made without anyone having the necessary information to refute those claims. When everyone has the correct information, it makes false claims difficult to make because they can easily be disproven. After all, the county will have the original hand marked paper ballot that is married to an unredacted ballot image. If some grifter tries to change the image, they will be easily caught. The ballot images have been hashed meaning they're protected from any kind of deception.
Transparency is characterized by visibility and accessibility of information.
Transparency = Truth. Abe Lincoln believed in transparency, as evidenced by the following quote:
“I have faith in the people. They will not consent to disunion. The danger is, they are misled. Let them know the truth, and the country is safe.” Abraham Lincoln.
WE KNOW That transparency is the currency of trust!
So does our Secretary of State Adrian Fontes. To quote our new secretary of state:
"The cancer in our democracy is disinformation.
We must kill the illusion of conspiracies through transparency” End of quote.
As you can see both the current Arizona Secretary of State, Adrian Fontes (a Democrat), and former Secretary of State and current State Senator Ken Bennett (a Republican) strongly support making ballot images accessible. AUDIT is working with both parties to build a bipartisan coalition to achieve this goal.
Recently, an independent team, which included AUDIT allies, “THE AUDIT GUYS” analyzed Cast Vote Record (CVR) from Arizona's 2022 election. Their widely publicized report showed that the reason certain Republican candidates lost while others won was due to tens of thousands of Arizona voters who split their ballots, voting for Democrats for top posts and Republicans in down-ballot races. This exemplifies the clear benefits of election transparency.
By allowing members of the public to view and analyze CVR and ballot images, we can demonstrate precisely what happened in an election, reducing the ability of election deniers to spread misinformation. Arizona is known to be a hotbed of election conspiracies, which presents an opportunity to achieve our goal of transparent elections. By building a bipartisan coalition in Arizona to make ballot images available, we can set an example for other states, perhaps in time for the 2024 presidential elections.
Election Attorney Bill Risner Co-founder AUDIT USA "In Arizona, because the paper ballots are not accessible after an election, ballot images provide the only possible means of individual voters to confirm the accuracy of reported election results. If ballot images are NOT released to the public, this leaves the door wide open to any, and all false claims of election fraud or manipulation. These false claims can be prevented because the existing election system is safely capable of complete transparency. Ballot images are the guarantors of our democracy." Please write your AZ state legislator and tell them Common Cause is wrong and ask them to vote for SB1324 and house bill HB 2560. Link to the amended version of our bill with our explanation: bit.ly/3TnCDkc
For more information on why these bills are important, please watch this short video featuring Senator and former SoS Ken Bennett, current SoS Adrian Fontes, election attorney Bill Risner, Democratic Party Chair Yavapai County Mike Fogel, and Mickey Duniho from AUDIT USA. The YouTube link to the video has garnered over 2,000 views: youtu.be/kXP17WLYqQE
We believe that our bill will eventually become known as the "Big Lie" killer, because facts change beliefs.
Preventing the rise of authoritarianism and hate requires a collective effort from all members of society.
It is crucial to cultivate a culture of respect, tolerance, and empathy and actively promote these values in our interactions with others. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Hope, Peace, and Democracy.
John R Brakey
JohnBrakey@gmail.com
www.AUDITelectionsUSA.org
Here is a link to what we hope will be the amended version of our bill with our explanation: bit.ly/3TnCDkc
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