PHOENIX — Maricopa County will not reuse equipment that was inspected by auditors due to fears that it may now be compromised, according to an announcement on Monday by Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.
Florida-based Cyber Ninjas and owner Doug Logan examined the ballot-counting machines and others as part of the Republican audit.
Hobbs and Dominion Voting Systems, which manufactured some of the machines, were concerned about the use of the equipment in future elections.
"I have grave concerns regarding the security and integrity of these machines," Hobbs said in an email on May 17 to the five members of the Maricopa County Board, which oversees county elections.
Dominion provided this statement to 12 News in May:
"There are real concerns about what the unaccredited 'auditors' have done to Maricopa County's voting equipment, and whether the machines remain useable for future elections," the Dominion spokesperson said.
The cost of replacing the equipment is unknown. County officials plan to have the new equipment in time for the November 2021 election.
The hand-count of Maricopa County’s 2.1 million ballots was completed last week, but the results of the audit won’t be released for several weeks.
Maricopa County election audit
Keep track of the latest developments from the Maricopa County election audit on the 12 News YouTube channel.