Gates, along with his family, has been the target of intimidation and attacks during his tenure from those who peddled election fraud. Previously said he had PTSD. He is just one of many election officials who have chosen not to run again after years of harassment from conspiracy theorists and a widespread lack of support for their work.

“Regardless of personal partisan preferences or outside pressure, I remained committed to making this area the best place to live, work and raise a family,” Gates said in a statement Thursday. ‘ said. “My will to fight for truth is unimpeded and I look forward to Maricopa County conducting the 2024 elections.”

Maricopa County, Arizona’s largest county, with a population of nearly five million, has been at the center of lawsuits and conspiracy theories surrounding the legitimacy of the election results.

Gates has drawn criticism from Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who tried unsuccessfully to force the county to rerun the election. claim to “Hundreds of thousands of illegal ballots affected the election.”

“Mr. [Gates’] Malicious incompetence has become the albatross of Maricopa County. ” Mr Lake’s campaign account tweeted in response to the announcement. “We advise Gates never to get involved in representative politics again.”

The county had problems with printers during the midterm elections. but, External investigation completed earlier this year It turned out that those problems were due to equipment failure and not intentional misconduct.

These election fraud conspiracy theories are not new. Following the 2020 presidential election, a Republican-backed Maricopa County election audit debunked former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the election was rigged.

Gates is one of four Republicans on the county’s five-member oversight board. county Republican party slammed After the 2022 midterm elections, he claimed there was an “inevitable error” that would lead to “grave voter disenfranchisement.” All directors will be re-elected in 2024.

Gates was first elected to the board in 2016 and served as board chair in 2019 and 2022. Prior to joining the board, he served as a member of the Phoenix City Council.