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Officials in Maricopa County, Arizona, the fourth largest county in the country, said Tuesday they’ve been planning for years to secure polling locations and the tabulation center on Election Day.
The county, which has been at the center of election conspiracy theories and threats since 2020, will have one of the most intense security operations in the country with patrols on horseback and drones for surveillance and security cameras, according to Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner.
Skinner told reporters there haven’t been “a lot of threats” this year but expects to see more as Election Day approaches and in the days after.
An election worker verifies a stack of 2024 General Election ballots before they are processed with a tabulation machine at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC) in Phoenix, Ariz., on Oct. 23, 2024.
Olivier Touron/AFP via Getty Images
“There is no place in politics or this process that criminal activity is allowed and there is zero tolerance that we as public safety will take in relative any type of criminal act or any type of issue that arises,” Skinner said. “We want this to be a safe and secure process.”
During the press conference, Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates said that an individual with a hidden camera recently recorded a county training and posted videos and photos of election workers on social media.
“Election workers are off limits, they should be off limits,” Gates said. “They should not be threatened. They should not have their names and images put out there. And I have full confidence we’re not going to see that from this point on.”
Gates added that the county has received over 1 million early ballots and said that for the first time since 2006, there will be a two-page ballot which will mean it will take more time than usual to fill out ballots.
The county has increased the number of voting booths and staff to mitigate long lines at the polls.
-ABC News’ Laura Romero
