Audit Scans Break Evidence Chains

When law enforcement seizes or subpoenas scans, photos, or exported data from partisan election audits instead of original ballots, the resulting material often lacks verifiable chain‑of‑custody and can be altered or incomplete. Experts warn such digital artifacts can be forensically weak, undermining criminal investigations, court proceedings, and public confidence in election results. — If investigators rely on politically produced digital audit data, prosecutions or exonerations may be based on evidence that courts or juries view as unreliable, deepening polarization around electoral legitimacy.