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Maricopa County says it’s prepared for Election Day security

Maricopa County says it’s prepared for Election Day security

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Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner said Tuesday his office is prepared for potential security challenges as officials continue to prepare for the national spotlight ahead of the general election.

He shared few details about what the district’s security operations might look like from the ground, but Skinner said he is confident he has the staff and resources needed to keep voters and election officials safe during a contentious presidential cycle.

“It’s troubling to see this heightened sense of security, the questions, the national — even global — attention that Maricopa County is seeing,” Skinner said. “But I want you to be assured that for many, many years there has been tremendous planning for this operation for democracy and for keeping this community safe.”

His comments came during an afternoon press conference just a week before Election Day. He was speaking from the most populous district in Arizona, where a lot has changed since the last presidential election.

Maricopa County officials were caught off guard when armed protesters gathered outside the 2020 campaign headquarters. Later, they faced false voting conspiracies, threats and harassment.

Skinner made it clear that would not be the case this time. His comments appeared to be designed to reassure the public and warn off those who might want to harm election workers and voters.

“There is no place in politics or this process where criminal activity is allowed,” he said. “There is zero tolerance.”

What will the county’s “safety footprint” be?

Skinner was light on the details of what resources the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office will likely use to secure the county’s election headquarters near downtown Phoenix.

But recent elections suggest it will be a major show of force aimed at keeping poll workers safe and avoiding trouble. In 2022, the district took an aggressive security stance when deputies closed off the parking lot outside the building minutes after the polls closed. After the recent primary election, drones were used and snipers were placed on the roof of the facility.

During recent renovations, county officials added metal detectors to the polling center lobby and additional perimeter fencing. Barricades are located along the sidewalks along the territory.

Skinner also instituted a “blackout” period for the election season, barring lawmakers from taking vacations to ensure his agency is fully staffed to deal with any security concerns that may arise. He said his security plan would be adjusted depending on conditions after Election Day.

“My resources and equipment are assembled and ready to go,” Skinner said. “It’s very variable. According to the environment and conditions, we will make sure that there is a level of security there.”

Skinner said he hasn’t seen many threats in the days leading up to an election, but he noted that threats and violence have historically occurred after Election Day, when ballots are counted and races are certified as part of a democratic transfer of power.

“We can’t predict what will happen, but we can be prepared for what could potentially happen,” Skinner said. “But I hope that we have a community that cares about this process, that respects each other and works together for our public safety, and that this process is safe to begin with.”

District: ‘sad’ that election security is a concern

Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates, a Republican, said he and other county leaders have invested in beefing up election security, but said it was “sad” they had to do it.

“I think all of us, growing up, don’t remember it being a problem,” Gates said.

He also warned that the county is prepared to counter false claims during voting and vote counting. He said there was a “significant team” monitoring social media for security threats and misinformation.

“We know there’s a lot of interest in this election this year, and we want people to have every opportunity to want to go ahead and vote,” Gates said. “And if people try to dissuade them from doing that by spreading misinformation, we’re going to respond very quickly by getting the facts out there.”

But Gates’ comments belied the toll that vote-rigging has taken on county officials and employees in recent years. He announced last year that he would not run for re-election and has been open about being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of aggressive election-related actions endorsed by members of his own political party.

Jennifer Leaver, a spokeswoman for the Department of Elections, said her “number one priority” is getting information out to voters, but increasingly, she said, she must balance that with responding to targeted attempts to cast doubt on the election process.

She said that sometimes the constant buzz about election security drowns out the good things about working on the ground, such as supporting democracy and helping first-time voters.

“There’s so much good that’s going on, and I think sometimes that’s what gets lost,” she said. “It’s an amazing thing to be a part of history in the making.”

Contact the reporter at [email protected].

Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration in the Republic of Arizona. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on X: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps. Subscribe to her weekly election newsletter, Republic Recalculation.