Arizona
Arizona election officials push forward prep for 2024 count, despite constant threats
As election season gets underway, officials in a key battleground state said they are prepared to handle the task of counting and certifying ballots despite a rise in threats.
Nearly four years ago, the staff at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix was hounded by former President Donald Trump’s supporters, who pushed his false claims that votes in his favor were not counted.
Maricopa County election officials and workers have been harassed and threatened over those false claims long after the election was certified, according to Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer.
Supporters of President Donald Trump gather to protest the election results at the Maricopa County Elections Department office, Nov. 6, 2020, in Phoenix.
Courtney Pedroza/Getty Images
“This isn’t just a normal political lie,” he told ABC News. “This is a lie that then leads to targeting of people.”
Richer, a Republican who has been in his position since 2021, said he has taken steps to ensure that his office completes the certification process properly and transparently.
Richer has been offering public tours of his facility and posting live streams of many of the processes that take place there — from tabulating votes from voting machines to hand-checking the thousands of mail-in ballots that come in every election.
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer shows off the equipment at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix.
ABC News
During a tour of the facility with ABC News, Richer showed how the ballot processing team takes on counting those mail-in ballots and how every aspect is thoroughly vetted.
“These are teams of different parties, so by the lanyard that they’re wearing, either Republican or Democrat — or yellow is an Independent,” he said of the ballot workers.
Richer said “millions of dollars” have been added since 2020 to help improve his office. But despite the transparency and extra resources, Richer said the police have made arrests against people who have threatened him and his staff.
“We’re talking about the stuff like, ‘we are coming to hang you, we are coming to shoot you,’” he explained.
Richer is facing a reelection challenge from State Rep. Justin Heap (R), who has been backed by state lawmakers who have also denied the outcome of the 2020 election. Heap did not respond to ABC News for comment.
When asked by ABC News about the large number of election denial claims coming from his own party, Richer said, “We’re better than the drivel that you might see on the 27th comment on a blog post.”
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer speaks with ABC News’ Averi Harper.
ABC News
“But some of that has been elevated by people who are in positions of power and words matter, and words matter from these people,” he added.
Those words have already affected some Maricopa election officials’ future.
Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman said he won’t seek reelection this year following threats against him and his family since 2020. He is one of two Maricopa election officials who declined to run for reelection.
“Your own party is shoving knives in your back when you walk out the door. And it’s very difficult. It’s been very difficult to deal with for myself [and] my colleagues,” Hickman, a Republican, told ABC News.
Hickman said he received several death threats and at one point 100 people came to his house while he, his wife and children were home. Two sheriff’s deputies were stationed outside to guard his home.
Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman speaks with ABC News.
ABC News
“It’s horrible to talk to citizens and say, ‘Hey, can you come out and help run an election? Can you observe the election?’ I don’t want any part of that because of bad behavior, because of criticism,” Hickman said. “It’s ridiculously horrible. If you can’t get the best, expect the worst.”
Richer said that despite the threats, he is confident he and his team will conduct their duties this November.
Election ballots are sorted at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix.
ABC News
“The board is committed. Their side of the operation is committed. Everyone understands the game plan. Arizonans are going to be able to participate. Their votes are going to count. It’s going to be valid. It’s going to be bipartisan. It’s going to be fair, and it’s going to be certified eventually,” he said.
GLENDALE, AZ — A Glendale Police Department traffic enforcement operation is targeting red-light runners, putting a spotlight on the split-second decisions that can lead to life-altering crashes.
Arizona continues to be one of the worst states in the country for red-light running.
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, nearly 6,000 drivers were involved in red light crashes at intersections, resulting in more than 60 deaths.
Officer Schlingman from the Glendale Police Department said the two most common excuses he hears from drivers cited for the violation are that they thought the light was still yellow, or that they were running late.
Watch in the player above as ABC15 gets a front-row seat inside the traffic enforcement operation as part of Operation Safe Roads.
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PHOENIX — Happy Wednesday!
We’re staying on top of the latest happenings from across the Valley, state, and our nation for Wednesday, July 15; here’s what you need to know as you start your day:
The monsoon is not done with us yet. A few scattered storms could pop up in the Valley later today. Until then, partly cloudy, hot, and humid with a high of 108º. Better storm chances arrive tomorrow.
The mother of a 21-year-old woman who was found dead near Lake Pleasant over the weekend is speaking about her daughter’s death to ABC15.
Arianna Jones, 21, was last known to be at her apartment near 59th and Northern avenues. When her family went to check on her, they said they found damage to her front door, and she was not there. Her family has had no contact with her since July 5.
A friend told police that she had planned to meet “an acquaintance” for a movie. Evidence shows the man, identified by police as Domonic Rodolico, had picked Jones up from her apartment and never returned.
On Saturday, July 11, officials located “decomposing human remains in this area along with additional evidence,” including movie theater cups and clothes.
Glendale police confirmed Monday that Rodolico was taken into custody on charges including first-degree murder. Police say he is being held on a $2 million cash bond.
Mother of Glendale woman found dead near Lake Pleasant speaks to ABC15
One person is dead, and four others are hurt after a multi-vehicle crash in Scottsdale.
Police say they were called to the crash at Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard around 4:45 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found six vehicles involved in the crash.
All told, Scottsdale police say five people were taken to the hospital for their injuries.
One person later died of their injuries. That person has not yet been identified.
abc15
Arizona’s 1st Congressional District has become one of the most watched races in the country, with political experts calling it a toss-up ahead of the primary election.
CD1 is among a small number of truly competitive House races, said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
“We only have 16 tossups in the House in our Crystal Ball House ratings. Two of them are Arizona One and Arizona Six, so they’re really, really important,” Kondik said.
CD1 is home to about 820,000 people. The district includes northeast Phoenix, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills, and Cave Creek. Because the race is so competitive, campaigns are spending heavily to reach voters.
“There are a lot of people who live in the Phoenix area who don’t live in Arizona One. But they’re going to be seeing those ads for Arizona One anyway,” Kondik said.
Arizona’s 1st Congressional District race is one of the most competitive in the country
In a world where headlines often focus on what teenagers are doing wrong, one Valley band is giving people a reason to turn up the volume.
Anthem-based rock band The Deadline, made up of local teenagers, recently returned from a remarkable trip to Poland, where they performed for U.S. and NATO troops stationed near the Ukraine border.
The opportunity came after the young musicians caught the attention of Polish officials and continued building a reputation through Alice Cooper’s Proof Is in the Pudding competition.
What followed was a once-in-a-lifetime invitation to use their music to boost morale for troops serving far from home.
Arizona teens bring musical talent to audience of troops near Ukraine
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Maricopa County, Ariz., asked the court to affirm its determination that the location was a 30-auditorium mixed used movie theater worth nearly $29 million in full cash value and $12.5 million in limited value.
However, AMC’s expert appraiser didn’t err when he limited the property’s valuation to the 17 auditoriums the theater currently uses to show films, the court determined in an unsigned opinion posted Tuesday. …
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