Scam Election Review Resources

Updated August 2021

• In an August 2021 report, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs details that the Cyber Ninjas investigation was nothing more than a “partisan review.” The report explains how the Florida-based firm appeared to have no clear understanding of state or local electoral procedures in Arizona and how the contractor did not provide adequate security at the audit site, further eroding any credibility.
• In August 2021, the National Association of Secretaries of State Task Force on Vote Verification released post-election audit recommendations.
• In July 2021, under the guidance of Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, the Maricopa County Elections Department created a new website, JustTheFacts.Vote to address questions and misconceptions about the 2020 general election. The website lays out the laws and guidelines put in place to ensure accuracy and transparency during elections, and dispels myths and conspiracies about voter registration, election security, and mail-in ballots.
• In a July 2021 report, the Brennan Center for Justice, Protect Democracy and R Street Institute found that the Cyber Ninjas review will cost taxpayers at least $2.4 million.
• In July 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice released guidance to ensure states fully comply with federal laws regarding elections, specifically federal constraints related to post-election “audits.” The guidance provides information on how states must comply with federal law when preserving and retaining election records and the criminal penalties associated with the willful failure to comply with those requirements.
• In June 2021, States United published a report co-authored by former Republican Secretary of State of Kentucky Trey Grayson and Dr. Barry C. Burden of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It found that the Maricopa County audit did not meet the standards of a proper election recount or audit.
• States United Action, Fair Fight Action, and United to Protect Democracy launched a first-of-its-kind tool designed to track state-specific attacks on election integrity via sham election reviews, like the Cyber Ninjas’ work in Maricopa County, Arizona. The tracking tool, found at NotAnAudit.com, details the commonalities that run throughout this coordinated disinformation campaign.
• States United shared a backgrounder to provide additional details regarding new attempts in Wisconsin to review the 2020 elections, including the so-called “subpoenas” issued by State Representative Janel Brandjten to Brown and Milwaukee Counties and Speaker Robin Vos’ efforts to employ ex-law enforcement to “investigate” the 2020 election.”
• States United Action conducted polling in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to better understand how voters view these new efforts to review the 2020 election.

Updated August 2021

This information is regarding the new attempts in Wisconsin to review the 2020 elections, including the “subpoenas” issued by State Representative Janel Brandjten to Brown and Milwaukee Counties and Speaker Robin Vos’ efforts to employ ex-law enforcement to “investigate” the 2020 election.

Read the full analysis here.