PHOENIX – A subcontractor working on a Republican-led audit of the 2020 election results in Arizona’s largest county withdrew from the project.
Wake Technology Solutions Inc. was leading the manual count portion of the audit, but decided not to renew its contract, audit officials said Tuesday. The tally is now being handled by StratTech Solutions of Scottsdale, an information technology consulting firm that does not list election or audit experience on its website.
Wake was originally hired to lead the manual count through May 14, but the process has gone considerably slower than expected with only a quarter of the 2.1 million ballots counted by then. The company decided not to renew the contract, said Ken Bennett, who serves as the liaison for Senate Republicans overseeing the audit.
StratTech has been working on the audit from the beginning, including recruiting, training and background checks, Bennett said. The firm’s involvement had not been previously disclosed.
“They were very familiar with the processes that were under the direction of Wake, so most of Wake’s hired employees will move under the supervision of StratTech and we will move forward,” said Bennett.
Manual counting is just one part of an audit that also includes a review of voting machines and election data. It is run by Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based cybersecurity consultancy whose owner has shared conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
The audit is being conducted on behalf of Republicans in the state Senate, who issued subpoenas to seize control of ballots, equipment, and data after former President Donald Trump unsubstantiated that their loss was tarnished. for a fraud.
Election experts and national security officials say the 2020 elections were safe, but Trump and many of his supporters have aggressively promoted unfounded theories that the election was stolen from Trump. The audit in Arizona will not change the outcome. Senate Speaker Karen Fann says she intends to find weak spots that the Legislature can improve, which Democrats worry will lead to legislation that suppresses votes.
Wake officials did not respond to a request for comment. StratTech referred the questions to Rod Thomson, a public relations consultant who works for Cyber Ninjas. It did not respond to a request for information about StratTech’s participation and ratings.
