After visiting the election audit of Arizona’s Maricopa County, the head of Nevada’s Republican Party said a similar review is needed in Nevada—although that possibility appears slim, as Democrats control both houses of the state Legislature.
“Hats off to the leadership here in Arizona … I think that sets the model, that sets the tone for Nevada,” Republican Chairman Michael McDonald said in an interview posted to Twitter, referring to the audit efforts in Maricopa. “We want to duplicate that in Nevada.”
Reporting from Arizona, Real America's Voice correspondent, Drew Hernandez caught up with Nevada GOP Chairman, Michael J. McDonald — who just finished touring the Arizona audit floor.
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) June 8, 2021
Check out his reaction! @DrewHLive @McDonaldNV @GOPLeader https://t.co/KMYSUIZbil
Starting in April, a private company has led efforts to audit all 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County, following an order by Arizona’s Republican-controlled Senate. Democrats, including Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, have frequently decried the process, describing it as partisan and unprofessional—which Republicans have denied.
McDonald, who said he has a law enforcement background, told the interviewer that he believes the audit’s security and procedures are sufficient.
“We want to be able to say the same thing in Nevada: That we looked at all the problems we had, all the anomalies that took place, to make sure that it was a clean and fair election,” McDonald said. “Because it wasn’t.”
Namely, Clark County—which includes Las Vegas, most of Nevada’s population, and most of the state’s Democrat voter base—should be audited, he said.
Democratic Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro didn’t immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Cannizzaro told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the state Republican Party and McDonald “are delusional” for wanting an audit of the state’s election results.
“The Nevada Senate isn’t going to waste any time or taxpayer money entertaining their unhinged conspiracy theories,” she said.
Responding to McDonald’s interview, Democrat Attorney General Aaron Ford said his office “defeated” Republicans’ and former President Donald Trump’s “lawsuits alleging widespread voter fraud.” The attorney general’s office will push back against any audit efforts, he said.
President Joe Biden was certified as the winner of Nevada’s six electoral votes, narrowly defeating former Trump during the Nov. 3, 2020, election.
Late last week, officials said the audit of Maricopa County is projected to end on June 26, or about two months after the process started. The Arizona state Senate has control of the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix until June 30.
Audit teams have previously said that after the process is completed, more work will be carried out in July. A final report is expected to be released in August.
