Arizona Senate
Upper Chamber of Arizona's legislature; subpoenaed Maricopa County's 2020 ballots.
The chamber's 2021 subpoena of nearly 2.1 million Maricopa County ballots set the pattern for officials taking ballots from election staff, recalled when California's Supreme Court ordered a sheriff on 24 September 2026 to return 650,000 seized ballots.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026
Why did the Arizona Senate seize Maricopa County ballots?
Timeline for Arizona Senate
Mentioned in: Bianco must hand back 650,000 ballots
US Midterms 2026Background
The Arizona Senate is the Upper Chamber of the Arizona Legislature, with 30 members. In its 2026 session Republicans hold 17 seats to Democrats' 13, and Warren Petersen is Senate President.
In 2021 Senate President Karen Fann and the chamber's judiciary chairs subpoenaed nearly 2.1 million Maricopa County ballots and about 300 tabulators from the 2020 election. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge upheld the subpoenas on 26 February 2021, and the Senate handed the ballots to the private firm Cyber Ninjas. The review it commissioned found Joe Biden had won by slightly more than the official count.
That exercise is the benchmark for a legislature or official removing ballots from election administrators. Arizona's episode resurfaced as a reference after a unanimous 24 September 2026 decision by California's highest court ordering Bianco, the Riverside County sheriff, to give back some 650,000 ballots he had seized. The difference is the actor: Arizona's seizure ran through legislative subpoena with a court's approval.