By Bernard Kerik, 15 June 2021

Democrats and the mainstream media have been aggressively denouncing the Maricopa County, Arizona election audit from the beginning.

At, first I didn’t understand why.

I thought that it was because they were afraid of what the results would be, but I now believe it’s something far worse.

The Democrats aren’t “just” afraid of the outcome – but they’re afraid that the audit results will be irrefutable and unimpeachable. They know that their efforts to discredit the audit process in Arizona will not stand up to scrutiny and here’s why.

The Arizona audit is being run impeccably, utilizing security and surveillance procedures with a longstanding track record of effectiveness.

To say that I was impressed after viewing the audit process for myself would be a massive understatement. I’ve spent decades working in security and law enforcement at the highest levels, and this is exactly the level of conscientiousness and attention to detail that I would demand for a sensitive or high-profile investigation.

They’re not trying to reinvent the wheel; they’re using the same methods casinos have used for decades to catch cheaters.

It’s common knowledge that casinos are exceptionally good at catching cheaters, and if anybody tries to pull a fast one during the Arizona audit, they face the same long odds of getting away with it.

Before a person can even enter the premises, their name must be on a pre-approved list. After winding their way through a maze of corridors, they arrive at a security checkpoint where their ID is checked.

From that point forward, visitors are escorted at all times by audit personnel.

After being briefed, visitors must forfeit cell phones, cameras, and any writing implements they might be carrying before they can be escorted to the audit floor. That’s why the Democrats’ claims of seeing auditors wielding blue and black pens are so implausible.

On the coliseum floor, the audit is conducted in several stages, each of which takes place in a designated area. The tables in each section are color-coded, and workers wear shirts with corresponding colors, making it easy for anyone to spot if someone strays from their assigned area.

At every table, there is accountability and supervision, all of it live streamed and viewable by the general public.

Just like in a casino, where “pit bosses” keep a close eye on a relatively small section of tables, there is an audit supervisor responsible for groups of two to three tables. If any problems arise or anything appears to be even slightly amiss, the supervisor immediately steps in to address it.

And just as casinos use high-resolution cameras in the ceiling to monitor every single table, the auditors in Arizona labor under the scrutiny of state-of-the-art cameras positioned directly above each table.

Every ballot reviewed by the auditors goes through distinct stages, starting with a simple count. One by one, ballots are placed on rotating stands in the middle of each table, and each one is viewed and counted by three separate people, whose independent tallies must line up. Each batch has 50 ballots, and once all of them are counted they’re boxed, sealed, and marked with the name of each counter, much like an evidence label.

The box is then taken to a locked cage until it is ready for review at the next station.

Next, the ballots undergo digital imagery examination, which is done at such a high resolution that it’s almost better than reviewing the ballot itself, because you can zoom in without losing resolution.

When I was there, one of the auditors showed me an example of a ballot that was flagged as suspicious because every single oval was filled out perfectly, without a single stray mark – something that would be easy for a machine to accomplish, but is almost impossible to do by hand.

After being imaged, the ballots are re-boxed, a new tabulations page is attached, and the box is sent to a different cage. From that point on, the ballots are kept under lock and key, with 24/7 video surveillance.

If every state performed an audit like this one after every election, public faith in our democracy would be absolute and unshakable.

The audit process being used in Arizona has accuracy, integrity, and accountability, and there’s no way to cheat because everything is captured on film.

Now that I’ve seen the process for myself, I finally understand why it has the Democrats so hot and bothered.

They know that if anything improper happened in the 2020 election, this audit will catch it – and they also know that they have no hope of refuting any improprieties this audit reveals.

Bernard B. Kerik was the 40th Police Commissioner of the New York City Police Department and is a New York Times bestselling author

https://www.newsmax.com/bernardkerik/ari.../15/id/1025217/