Claim: Video showing ballot breaking chain of custody in Arizona
During elections, state and local officials document their control and possession of election materials. chain of custody. However, some social media users claim that the recent midterm elections disrupted this process in Maricopa County, Arizona.
evangelist Shared by Lance Warnau Instagram clip for November 13 It shows conservative commentator Ben Bergkam following a white Penske truck allegedly delivering ballots. The truck left the election center in Maricopa County, Lambeck Election Service institution.
Above the clip is a screenshot of Tweet Heading November 12th from Warnau Gateway Critic Article “There is a fix: Arizona ballots will stop at the Lambeck Printing Company to scan ballot envelopes before they are sent to the county — without observers.”
“More votes are breaking custody chains in Arizona,” Warnau said in the post’s caption.
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The Instagram post received over 2,000 likes in less than two weeks. A Gateway Pundit article making this claim has been shared by him more than 3,000 times on Facebook, according to the social media insights tool CrowdTangle.
But the virus claim misses the point.
According to Arizona election experts and Maricopa County officials, it’s common for bipartisan staff to deliver ballots to Runbeck Election Services to create digital images of unopened ballot envelopes. It is not evidence that the chain of control has been broken within the county, nor evidence of any “fix.”
USA TODAY reached out to Wallnau and Bergquam for comment.
In Maricopa County, Chain of Custody Was Safe
USA TODAY was unable to directly confirm the authenticity of the clip.But Megan GilbertsonHe is the spokesperson for the Maricopa County Elections Authority.
Bergquam shared the same clip posted in an Instagram post on his Twitter account on Nov. 11.
However, it said the video did not show the chain of custody in Maricopa County being broken, contrary to the post’s claims. Tammy Patrick Former senior adviser to the election program of the Fund for Democracy, a nonpartisan election watchdog.
Lambeck Election Service on that website it says Maricopa County bipartisan staff to carry ballot envelopes to and from the company on a regular basis during the election period. According to Maricopa County, the ballot transfer will be recorded by a slip signed by both Elections Office staff and Lambeck staff. 2022 election plan.
Fact check: Arizona law allows relatives, caregivers to deposit ballots for others
USA TODAY found no credible reports to suggest that such slips in Maricopa County were compromised in any way during the midterm elections.
Runbeck Election Services scans unopened ballot envelopes to capture digital images of voter signatures and places those images into an automated batch system for review by the elections office. As planned.
Batch systems “will be systematically and continually audited in addition to being verified by Elections Bureau staff and Citizens Commissions through audit tray reports that accompany batches,” the plan said.
Observers attended the first two days and did not attend thereafter
The post’s assertion that there are no observers at the Lambeck facility is correct.
Maricopa County Republican Party Tweeted on November 14th A Republican observer “was in Lambeck on election night and the day after, and ballots were being sent out for scanning.“
Fact check: Arizona Vote Watchers Falsely Claim There Was Election Fraud in Maricopa County
But Christy Donnell A spokesperson for the Arizona Republican Party told USA TODAY that observers were not present on Nov. 10 or Nov. 11 when the video was shared on Twitter.
Bipartisan staff members appointed by political party chairs will attend the facility, including Nov. 8 and the day after, Nov. 11, to vote for early ballots and early ballots, Gilbertson said. I delivered the envelope and signed a series of custody forms.
AFP fact check When political fact debunked this claim.
Our rating: error
Based on our research, we rate the claim that the video shows a vote breaking the chain of custody in Arizona as “false.” Contrary to Post’s allegations, a string of custody rights had not been broken in Maricopa County. It is common for bipartisan staff to deliver ballots to Runbeck Election Services for digital he imaging of ballot envelopes.
Fact-check sources:
- Megan Gilbertson, November 28-29, email exchange with USA TODAY
- Tammy PatrickNovember 28-29, email exchange with USA TODAY
- Kristy Dohnel December 1 texting with USA TODAY
- Runbeck Election Services, accessed November 29, claims and facts
- Maricopa County, Nov. 11, Tweet
- Maricopa County Elections Department, accessed November 29, 2022 Election Plan
- U.S. Election Assistance Commission, accessed Nov. 30, COC best practices
- Maricopa County Republican, Nov. 14, Tweet
- Reuters, Nov. 22, FACT CHECK – Maricopa County says bipartisan staff carry mail-in ballots in preparation for signature verification
- AFP Factcheck, Nov. 16, Shipping Maricopa County ballots is not a sign of fraud
- Politifact, Nov. 13, The video shows that the Arizona vote will “break the chain of custody in Arizona.”
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