Maricopa County's Board of Supervisors greenlit an independent audit of their election processes, signing off on a contract with the governmental compliance audit firm BerryDunn, as reported by Maricopa County government news. This audit aims at examining various components of the election system, spanning chain of custody, Vote Center setup, to the use of ballot drop boxes, among others. The contract was awarded in a bid to refine the conduct of elections for over 2.6 million registered voters in the county.
"We run free, fair, and efficient elections in Maricopa County, but as I promised when I became Chairman in January, a comprehensive review will help to make our impressive elections even better," Chairman Thomas Galvin stated, as he highlighted the county's commitment to exemplary elections. Over a bright nationwide spotlight trained for five years, Vice Chair Kate Brophy McGee welcomed the audit, "I am confident we have solid systems and processes in place to serve Maricopa County voters. We welcome the opportunity to improve, and that’s what this comprehensive review is all about," she affirmed in a statement obtained by Maricopa County government news.
After a meticulous evaluation of five proposals by senior auditors with the internal audit department, BerryDunn emerged as the recommended choice. They bring a track record of experience in governmental compliance auditing to the table. Supervisor Debbie Lesko emphasized, "It is very important that voters in Maricopa County have faith in our elections system. With this audit we will find out what is being done right and what needs reform."
Supervisor Steve Gallardo noted the significance of the audit beyond the reach of extreme skepticism. "This isn’t for the conspiracy theorists or the unhinged election deniers—we’re never going to reach them. This review is for people of good faith who have questions about how Maricopa County elections work, who want to have a good experience when they vote and know their ballot is being handled with care," he told Maricopa County government news. The commitment by the Supervisors is to unveil BerryDunn's findings in an unaltered form for public consumption.
It's noteworthy that this isn't BerryDunn's first rodeo with Maricopa County’s elections; they previously assisted with examining issues related to the 2018 Primary Election. Since then, there have been considerable changes to the election processes, negating concerns of duplicative work. Looking forward, results from various components of the review could be available by Fall 2025, with the contract extending to June 30, 2026. A separate review focusing on election equipment and technology is also on the horizon, as Maricopa County ensures transparency by sharing details of the election review on their website.
