In Flagstaff, Arizona, election officials Laura Huenneke and William Culbertson face a new challenge of election denialism in a battleground state. While Huenneke remembers the days when rattlesnakes were the biggest issue during elections, today they deal with skepticism about the accuracy and fairness of elections. A CBS News poll shows that while 56% of Democrats and 26% of Republicans are confident in their state’s election process, 32% of Republicans are not confident compared to 8% of Democrats. Despite this, Eslir Musta, elections director for mostly Democratic Coconino County, emphasizes the transparency of the election process and the investment in upgrading their vote-counting facility to reassure the public.
In Coconino County, over $1.5 million was spent to upgrade the main vote-counting facility in an effort to provide transparent and accurate elections. The goal is to reinvest in the fundamental contract with the public and demonstrate brutal transparency in the election process. Pinal County, which is mainly Republican, also invested in a new facility and equipped ballot boxes with GPS tracking devices to protect election equipment. Officials like Dana Lewis, the Pinal County Recorder, stress the importance of security measures to reassure the public and dispel false beliefs, such as tabulation machines being connected to the internet.
The investment in election security and transparency is beginning to pay off with voters, according to officials. Culbertson notes that more people are starting to come around, although there are still some skeptics. Musta emphasizes that there is nothing to hide in the election process and maintains that everything is transparent for the public to see. Pinal County’s Lewis explains the closed gateway system in their tabulation process, ensuring that everything is contained within a secure black box in the same room as the ballots and not connected to anything outside the room. Coconino County also follows similar security measures to prevent any tampering or interference in the election process.
Overall, election officials in Arizona are taking steps to ensure the accuracy and fairness of elections in the face of rising skepticism. Investments in upgrading facilities, implementing security measures, and providing transparency to the public are part of the efforts to rebuild trust in the election process. While there are still skeptics, officials like Musta and Lewis are committed to maintaining the integrity of elections and addressing concerns to ensure that voters have confidence in the electoral system.
