They're alive! Arizona attorney general finds no proof for claims of dead voters in 2020

PHOENIX - Claims that 282 Arizona voters cast their ballots from beyond the grave in 2020 are unfounded, state Attorney General Mark Brnovich said, in response to the state Senate's request for a criminal investigation into alleged deceased voters.

Only one dead voter was identified after "hundreds of hours" of research by the attorney general's Election Integrity Unit, Brnovich wrote Monday in a letter to Senate President Karen Fann.

"All other persons listed as deceased were found to be current voters," he wrote.

Fann, a Republican, provided the list to the Attorney General's Office as part of the Senate's ballot review of the 2020 presidential and U.S. Senate races.

Result addresses 'grave concerns'

In a statement, Fann thanked Brnovich and his staff for their work and said it helps answer some "grave concerns" voters and lawmakers had about the election.

"They asked us to do the hard work of fact finding, and we are delivering the facts," Fann wrote. "This step of the AG's investigation is critical to restoring the diminished confidence our constituents expressed following the last election."

It is unclear who the one dead voter was, but Brnovich's office did prosecute a former Scottsdale woman who admitted she had voted her dead mother's ballot in the 2020 general election.

Investigators also checked out additional reports from the Senate's contractor, the Cyber Ninjas, of dead voters. "Many were very surprised to learn they were allegedly deceased," Brnovich wrote about the people investigators interviewed.

Penalties: With few public records released, Arizona Supreme Court keeps $50K in daily fines for Cyber Ninjas

The hunt for dead voters in 2020 resulted in a cumulative 6,634 complaints to Brnovich's office, all of which were checked out and produced just a handful of potential cases, according to the letter.

It was clear much of the work turned into a wild goose chase.

"Some were so absurd the names and birth dates didn't even match the deceased, and others included dates of death after the election," Brnovich wrote of the complaints.

As long as there is proof that a voter's ballot was cast before the individual's date of death, their vote counts, according to Maricopa County elections officials. 

First finding on Cyber Ninja 'audit'

The letter is the first finding Brnovich has produced from his investigation of the 2020 general election in Maricopa County. 

In April, he said a preliminary review of the report submitted by the Cyber Ninjas found "serious vulnerabilities" in the election's procedures, but no crimes. His investigation continues, more than 10 months after he received the report.

In concluding his letter to Fann, Brnovich stated his office supported the Senate's ballot review of Maricopa County's procedures. 

"However, allegations of widespread deceased voters from the Senate audit and other complaints received by the EIU are insufficient and not corroborated," he wrote.

 Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter @maryjpitzl.