Ward Letter.Docx

KEVIN PAYNE COMMITTEES: 1700 WEST WASHINGTON, SUITE H MILITARY AFFAIRS & PUBLIC PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85007-2844 SAFETY, CAPITOL PHONE: (602) 926- 4854 Chairman TOLL FREE: 1-800-352-8404 GOVERNMENT & ELECTIONS, [email protected] TRANSPORTATION ______

DISTRICT 21

Dear Chairman Ward,

For more than the last two months, we have all been joined together in a public call for transparency and accountability in our election process. This included ballot security and integrity, comprehensive audits, and paper trails that allow the average voter to know that their vote counted and that the election results as presented were accurate.

Now, our collective message is being undermined by your insistence that none of these standards should apply to your election as AZ GOP Chairman. This inconsistency is simply not acceptable.

Without question, an election for Party Chairman pales in comparison to the importance of electing a United States Senator or President of the United States, but the principles that surround every election, no matter how big or small the office, must remain the same.

We urge you to heed the calls of your voters and allow for an immediate audit of the election that was held on January 23rd, in a manner that is fair and transparent. Or we would ask that you remove yourself from efforts to properly audit the elections held in Arizona on November 4th, 2020, as you would be an unwelcome distraction and foil for the media to use to discredit our efforts to protect our state’s voters.

Senator Rick Gray Senator Vince Leach Senator T.J. Shope Representative Shawnna Bolick Representative Frank Carroll Representative Regina Cobb Representative Timothy Dunn Representative John Fillmore Representative Mark Finchem Representative Quang Nguyen Representative Becky Nutt Representative Joanne Osbourne Representative Kevin Payne Representative Beverly Pingerelli Representative Bret Roberts Representative Ben Toma Representative Justin Wilmeth (Name of person letter is to) February 3, 2021 Page 2