In an odd coda to the 2020 election, private contractors conducting a GOP-commissioned recount in Arizona confirmed President Biden’s win in Maricopa County.
Why it matters: The unofficial, party-driven recount has been heavily covered on cable news as part of former President Trump's continued effort to sow doubt about the election result.
The findings: "The auditor’s final hand count—which quadruple-checked every single one of the 2.1 million ballots—matches Maricopa County’s official machine count," Arizona Senate President Karen Fann (R) wrote in a letter to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich on Friday.
- She acknowledged the report's validity at a press conference but expressed concern about "less-than-perfect" adherence to Arizona's elections standards as detailed in the report — such as signature verification.
Worth noting: A draft report obtained by The Washington Post and published earlier on Thursday actually gave Biden a slight edge over the official results.
- Fann later said that the leaked report was not entirely correct.
Reality check: The Arizona recount "was pilloried by election experts who warned that the methods used by the firm hired to run the review were sloppy and biased," the Post notes.
