DEBBIE LESKO: The Road To True Election Integrity In America

When I ran for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, I pledged to listen to voter concerns and work to ensure our citizens would have a smooth, fair, open, and transparent election process. I took office at a tenuous time in the county, which had been at the center of two contentious election cycles. As one of the largest counties in America, Maricopa County is looked upon as a bellwether of national elections – not to mention the myriads of other races within the state. I understand it is critical that we not only get our elections right but make sure that all voters – regardless of their party affiliation – trust the integrity of the process and result.

I have spent my entire career in public service defending the right of all Americans to know our votes count in each election – no matter how seemingly insignificant to the media or pundits. If Americans can’t trust an election for school board, then they certainly won’t be able to trust an election for the highest office in our land – President of the United States.

As a state legislator and United States Congresswoman, I sponsored and voted for legislation and supported ballot measures that require voter identification and proof of citizenship, prohibit non-citizens from voting, and end ballot harvesting. In the U.S. House of Representatives, I voted against legislation that would have allowed states to mail ballots to non-citizens and would have required states to accept ballot harvesting. I proudly sponsored and voted for the SAVE Act, which would have preserved American elections for the American people, because one vote from a noncitizen is one too many. Eventual passage of this legislation would do wonders for the integrity of our elections throughout the country.

To that end, I promised I would fight for an independent election-related audit in Maricopa County. In keeping my pledge, funding for this action was approved by the Board of Supervisors soon after I took office. One of those reviews is a technology audit, which will ensure that Maricopa County’s election equipment and software were not tampered with during the 2024 election cycle and cannot connect to the internet. The other is a comprehensive review by independent auditors, investigating lines of business as a chain of custody, physical security, tabulation, and drop box security of Maricopa County election processes.

This comprehensive audit was put out for open bid, so that any experienced individual or company could bid on doing the audit. After an extensive search, our Board voted to hire a nationally reputable audit firm to review the Maricopa County elections systems. With this audit, we will discover what is being done right and what needs reform. It is very important that voters in Maricopa County have faith in our elections system, and my prayer is that this audit is a huge step in that direction. I look forward to seeing the results of this review.