Close elections in Maricopa County in 2020 and 2022 made the county a target for those who did not believe the results were accurate, even though there was no evidence that they were.
The Maricopa County Elections Department has made changes ahead of the 2024 election, including increased security and investment in new ballot printers.
The state typically takes at least several weeks to certify election results. Some contests are too close to vote, and state mail-in voting laws are contributing to delays.
PHOENIX — Arizona’s past two elections, 2020 and 2022, have drawn intense scrutiny from voters, political parties and candidates. This is especially true in Maricopa County, where “several candidates for key offices have refused to accept the election results,” said County Supervisor Bill Gates.
“We’re concerned about it, but there’s not much we can do about it,” Gates told the Deseret News last week at the Maricopa County office in downtown Phoenix.
In 2020, President Joe Biden won Arizona by less than 1 percentage point and defeated his opponent, former President Donald Trump, by 2 percentage points in Maricopa County. Gates said the county is the fourth most populous in the nation and a battleground district with roughly equal numbers of Democratic, Republican and independent voters.
After the 2020 election, Trump sued the state and Democratic Rep. Adrian Fontes, then Maricopa County Recorder and now Secretary of State. Although courts and Maricopa County’s 2021 election audit found no evidence of widespread fraud, county election officials continue to face intense scrutiny.
Maricopa County is ground zero for contentious elections
Gates, a Republican, said he expected an even more contentious race in the upcoming 2024 election. Latest New York Times and Siena College Polls show Trump holding a 51% to 45% advantage over Vice President Kamala Harris in Arizona.
“We know that people who don’t like how things are going are going to continue to invent conspiracy theories,” Gates said, noting that conspiracy theories are becoming increasingly common in U.S. elections. “That’s not true. It’s not sustainable.”
Last year, he revealed that he and his family were facing threats and attacks from people denying the election results. He acknowledged that he was one of many Republicans who, willingly or not, retired from politics because he did not reject the results of the 2020 presidential election.
“I’ve always been a Republican, and one of the strengths of the Republican Party was that it was a big tent party. We didn’t have to follow any particular ideological line on any issue,” Gates said. said. He cited general principles shared by Republicans, such as meritocracy, free markets and individualism. “But now we are seeing many people who are unwilling to repeat the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. Now those people are being kicked out of the party.”
He said he hopes this trend is reversed for the sake of the Republican Party and future electoral success. But for now, Maricopa County is doing its best to certify and provide results as soon as possible.
How did Maricopa County prepare for the 2024 election?
Arizona voters can vote early in person or by mail. Early voting began in the state last week. Arizona residents will choose from 246 polling locations on Election Day.
As of Monday, all 1.9 million ballots had been shipped to voters in Maricopa County, and about 62% of them had been sent to voters in Maricopa County, according to a social media update from County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican and the state’s elections advocate. It was said to have been well received by voters. process. He lost the primary to state Rep. Justin Heap earlier this year.
For the first time since 2006, county voters will use a two-page ballot containing 87 votes, which is a bit of a logistical challenge. “If you plan to vote in person, please note that it is a very large poll and may take longer,” Taylor Kinnapp, communications director for the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office, told the Deseret News. Please be prepared.” He also advised voters to send in their mail-in ballots early.
She said her office is ready to process ballots and verify signatures. “It’s an exciting start and we’re looking forward to potentially record attendance.”
After the 2020 and 2022 elections, the Maricopa County Elections Office increased security at its facilities, including a SWAT team on the roof, a sniper in an adjacent building, secure drone space, and increased transparency. We have also put a lot of effort into this, holding more than 90 public tours this year alone. , and setting up a livestream of the office, Kinnup said. The county also invested about $9 million in new printers after printing problems at polling places in 2022.
Why does Arizona take so long to report results?
In 2020, it took Arizona more than three weeks to certify election results, but in 2022 it took the state nearly a month. But Kinnapp disputed claims that the Grand Canyon State, which includes Maricopa County, takes too long to count votes.
“We’re actually faster than most counties,” she said. “The difference is that our votes are on the wire. In our contests, the margins are less than 300 votes in some cases.”
Arizona law also has special provisions for processing ballots. Mail-in ballots sent on Election Day must be counted. Gates said he expects between 300,000 and 500,000 people to mail in their mail-in ballots on November 5th. These votes will prolong the counting process, including signature verification.
Gates expects 95% of the total votes to be counted and reported by Friday of election week. “However, our race is so close that the network may not be able to declare a winner until the following week,” he added.
The supervisor said, “This is not due to a lack of ability.” “We will complete this count and recount so that Arizona’s electors can be counted in time for the Electoral College.” Certifications must be submitted by Dec. 25.
