RESCUE MISSION: Arizona election officials DEBUNK lies spread by Donald Trump and Kari Lake
Donald Trump is already boosting election conspiracies in Arizona, but state officials are responding quickly, addressing disinformation that could turn voters away from the polls or cause increased backups in casting votes.
When right-wing Arizona candidates and their surrogates began to spread conspiracy theories about casting a ballot in the state, Trump was ready and waiting to jump on the bandwagon and amplify their complaints. However, officials say most of these claims are complete disinformation.
On his social media account, the former president declared that voting machines in Arizona were failing in “predominantly Republican/Conservative areas,” and suggested that perhaps this was intentional since Republicans waited until election day to cast votes. This echoes claims from gubernatorial candidate and election-denier Kari Lake, who hinted that the problem wasn’t affecting more liberal areas.
Meanwhile, Maricopa County officials are rushing to assure voters that, despite claims, they can show up and cast their votes, and their votes will be counted. While there are problems with some machines, these are tabulators — machines that count paper ballots — and election officials plan to simply transport ballots to another location and use tabulators there.
On Truth Social, Trump posted:
“Reports are coming in from Arizona that the Voting Machines are not properly working in predominantly Republican/Conservative areas. Can this possibly be true when a vast majority of Republicans waited for today to Vote? Here we go again. The people will not stand for it!!!”
However, Vice News reports that officials have already explained that the issue is affecting about 1 in 5 polling places in the county — there’s no sign that these more heavily affect voting locations are frequented more by one party affiliation than another.
Lake made similar allegations, appearing on a video to hint that the reason she’d had no problem casting a vote was that she chose a “more liberal” voting location.
Arizona gov. candidate Kari Lake (R) sows doubt about the integrity of the election results before polls have even closed:
"Voters in tears … saying, 'What's going on? The tabulators aren't working' … When we win, there's gonna be come to Jesus for elections in Arizona." pic.twitter.com/KDRYhsmQCd
— The Recount (@therecount) November 8, 2022
Maricopa County, meanwhile, is addressing falsehoods and misunderstandings, making it clear that a vote can still be cast even at a location where tabulation machines are down.
See, for example, the tweet below, in which county officials correct a misconception that one polling location could not accept votes because of machine issues.
This is not accurate. People are able to vote in person at Burton Barr. Once they complete their ballot, they can insert it in the secure slot on the tabulator where it will be counted at the downtown Tabulation and Election Center.
— Maricopa County (@maricopacounty) November 8, 2022
The county’s official social media also responded to a tweet by right-wing media influencer Charlie Kirk, who claimed that voters in the county were waiting over two hours to cast a vote — something that frequently happens in counties across the U.S., but that officials say is not happening here. In fact, they say, there are 223 voting locations in the county, and 209 are logging wait times under 30 minutes.
No part of the tweet below is accurate. The vast majority of Vote Centers are seeing wait times under 30 minutes, and whether by tabulator or secure ballot box, all voters are being served.
Find locations and estimated wait times at https://t.co/8vtd1lBUCT pic.twitter.com/dOi3emV5Tl— Maricopa County (@maricopacounty) November 8, 2022
Incidentally, Maricopa County, Arizona, offers live feeds from cameras overseeing polling places, and four of the five members of the county Board of Supervisors are Republican, making it even more unlikely that the county’s leadership decided to conspire against conservative voters
Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph.
