For the past two years, Arizona has been a haven for election oppositionism.

State Senate Republicans Lead the Way very flawed review The 2020 poll in Arizona’s largest county has kept Maricopa County in the limelight for months.

Former President Donald Trump was in the state just last week to get a list of Republican candidates who will reject the election, including the gubernatorial candidate. Kali Lake and state legislators. Mark Finchemis running for Secretary of State.

Despite discredited reviews and false claims about the 2020 election, this year’s primary will take place on Tuesday, and it’s not all that different in Maricopa County.

Maricopa County Record Keeper Republican Stephen Richer said, “For all the hoopla about election administration, it’s going to look very similar to the 2020 experience from a user’s perspective. .

Richer is quick to point out that the election review found nothing wrong with the Maricopa County election, despite all its flaws, because the county debunked allegations of wrongdoing so thoroughly. The review also confirmed that Trump lost a state in 2020.

“I think the Maricopa County election process has been more scrutinized than any US jurisdiction,” said Richer. “And, as you know, we know that the process has no fundamental flaws.”

Maricopa County’s 2022 primary has a few new wrinkles. Example: Most ballot drop boxes are gone. Instead, the county has increased the number of vote centers so that all voters can vote along the way or vote early.

But it’s optional. Counties can make small changes at the local level. As usual, most of the election will be determined by state law, including how early ballots were mailed to most Maricopa County voters in early July.

While laws were enacted to repeal the state’s popular mail-in voting system, many Republicans, like Richer and Maricopa County Director Bill Gates, lobbied to prevent them from becoming law. I was going (one new law, Make drastic changes to state early voting lists, is not yet enabled. )

Gates said, “We are against so many forces within the Republican Party here in Arizona, and nationally, that continue to spread this misinformation.” In particular, some people have stood up and supported the electoral officials.”

Gates specifically credits House Speaker Rusty Bowers for angering Trump by rejecting an attempt to overturn the 2020 election. gained national recognition For testifying before the House Committee investigating the January 6th Capitol Riot.Bowers with one hand torpedo Some far-reaching election bills.

“I think this shows the realization that our system is working. All this talks about problems with the system. [was] It’s political, not real,” Gates said.

That reality is a testament to the work of officials like Maricopa County’s co-electoral administrators Rey Valenzuela and Scott Jarrett.

Hired in 2019, Jarrett described the past two years as a trial on fire. All in all, he said he felt “energized” by the upcoming election.

According to Valenzuela, the two now spend their time actively spreading good news and countering bad news.

“On a personal level, it’s difficult. We want voters to not only make their own choices and participate in the process, but to give them the most accurate and best information possible to know that their elections are safe. Because we want them to be safe and have integrity,” he said.

The lie about the 2020 vote still resonates with many of the state’s Republican voters, but a successful 2022 election could allow the county to turn a corner for 2024.

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