In an effort to prevent Arizona’s Senate from carrying out an audit of the 2020 election results in Maricopa County, Arizona Democrats filed a last-minute lawsuit with the Maricopa County Superior Court.
The audit, set to begin on Friday, will review 2.1 million ballots, 385 tabulators, and other voting equipment at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.
An emergency court hearing date has been scheduled for 11 a.m on April 23rd, the day the audit is set to begin.
The lawsuit alleges that the planned audit violates “various statutory and Election Procedures Manual provisions” and “undermines the integrity and security” of Arizona elections.
Plaintiffs are asking the court to issue a restraining order and a permanent injunction to stop the audit from taking place on Friday.
The Arizona state senate first issued subpoenas in January to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, requesting the materials necessary to conduct a full audit of the 2020 election.
After the subpoenas were issued, Maricopa county officials asked a court to declare the subpoenas as unlawful and unenforceable. However, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Timothy Thomason ruled that the subpoenas were lawful and added that the Arizona senate has “broad constitutional” authority to carry out any election review it chooses.
