/ Modified oct 15, 2021 5:10 p.m.

Arizona Senate's election review records again ruled public

A judge has ruled in favor of the release of communications between leaders in the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate and private contractors.

Senate election audit The Arizona Senate's contractors count ballots from Maricopa County inside the Veterans Memorial Coliseum during May 2021.
Andrew Oxford/pool photo

A judge has ruled in favor of the release of communications between leaders in the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate and private contractors they hired to conduct an unprecedented review of the 2020 election results.

The ruling released Thursday evening is the latest in a series of losses for the Senate stemming from its efforts to keep secret records showing how the review was conducted.

Watchdog group American Oversight had sued for the records and repeatedly won. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Michael Kemp ruled the Senate's audit “goes to the heart of our democracy” and the public has a right to see documents on how it was conducted.

Fann says she will meet with Senate lawyers to decide next steps.

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