Bastion of conspiracy | Arizona prepares for a tense presidential election

(Phoenix) Concrete barriers, high wire fence, armed agents inside: on the eve of the American presidential election, the electoral center of Phoenix, Arizona, resembles a fortress.

These security measures are becoming sadly usual in this key state, undermined by electoral conspiracy.

“What is at stake is very important and very serious, it is the foundation of this democratic republic, namely our elections,” warned Bill Gates, one of the elections officials in Maricopa County, the most populated in Arizona.

Donald Trump lost by less than 10,500 votes in 2020 to Joe Biden in Arizona. At the time, armed demonstrators protested for several nights outside the county’s election center in the middle of Phoenix while ballots were being counted.

The Republican billionaire never admitted his defeat and in four years, the Grand Canyon State has become a hotbed of electoral conspiracy in the United States.

False theories about ballot “rigging” proliferate there, often fueled by local Trumpists, who have taken control of the Republican Party.

To combat this mistrust, the Maricopa County Election Center now has cameras permanently trained on ballot storage areas. Video surveillance is broadcast on the internet constantly.

“We tried to be as transparent as possible,” recalled Mr. Gates, a Republican elected official who resisted pressure from Donald Trump four years ago.

“But we ask for something in return,” insisted this official, victim in recent years of a deluge of hatred: that the candidates who will be defeated at the end of these elections “accept the results”.

“Terrorism”

At the dawn of an election where Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are neck and neck in the polls, and where the Republican tribune still raises the specter of “cheating”, the tension is palpable in Arizona.

Last week, a man was charged with “terrorism” after shooting over several nights at a Democratic Party office in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix. The staff was absent.

Police seized 120 firearms from his home, 250,000 rounds of ammunition and a grenade launcher. An arsenal which shows that this retired ex-engineer was preparing a major killing, according to the prosecution.

The sixty-year-old frequented conspiracy circles online, according to local media. In 2020, he shared the Trumpist slogan “Stop the Steal” after the defeat of Donald Trump.

“We are on red alert,” Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner confirmed.

Up to 200 of its agents are ready to intervene on Tuesday and in the coming days, he explained.

The county’s election center will also be flown by drones during the election, and snipers could be positioned on nearby rooftops if necessary.

“Crucial” election

Some electoral officials also took training to learn how to barricade themselves in a room, or to use a fire hose to repel possible intruders.

This stale atmosphere does not prevent thousands of temporary workers from mobilizing to make American democracy work.

Like Jenny Brian, 43, who spent her Monday preparing the opening of a polling station for the next day, with around ten colleagues.

The 2020 election was “a scary moment,” recognizes this academic, who has helped organize the polls in Arizona for around fifteen years.

But this only strengthened his civic engagement. Before this election, she was specially trained in de-escalation.

“Fears of political violence and voter intimidation show how crucial the election is,” she said. “So it is very important that we come forward without fear, to help them vote and to help ensure that the process runs smoothly. »