Phoenix (AZ Family) — With 75 days until Election Day, we’re now learning what’s next for Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates.
Last year, Gates announced that he would not seek re-election.
Previous coverage: Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates will not run for re-election.
Although he has served on the board since 2017, his involvement in elections began more than 20 years ago, when he was hired as Election Day Counsel for the Arizona Republican Party in 2002.
Gates also received anonymous threats against himself and his family after the 2020 and 2022 elections, and has been open about his struggle with PTSD.
“I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to talk about mental health and how important it is for everyone to take care of themselves,” he recently told his family in Arizona.
This fall, Gates will be teaching one class a week at Arizona State University, and in September he will lead a new lab called the Dynamics of Democracy Laboratory (MODL). The purpose is to teach the next generation how to vote.
“You know there’s nothing more important to a democracy than the elections themselves,” Gates said.
He said cooperating in elections is a great way to get involved in government. In the new lab, students will also receive training on how to interact with the media so they can educate voters. Gates spoke to his family in Arizona about the biggest misconceptions about the election.
“First of all, people don’t vote with paper,” Gates said. “More than 96% of people nationwide, and almost 100% of people in Arizona, vote by paper. The other thing is that the tabulation machines that actually count the votes are connected to the internet. That is simply not true and we have to deal with it on a daily basis.”
Gates will continue to serve on the board until the end of the year.
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