Within hours of when former President Donald Trump and others were shot at a political rally in Pennsylvania, election officials in Arizona were scrambling to assess the implications for the early voting already in progress for the state’s July 30 primary.
Almost removed due to not being local, but it’s just barely local enough with:
Maricopa County Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers was on the phone to confer with election officials and the county sheriff, and said he worked late into the night. The sheriff’s office later posted on social media that there is no known active threat against Maricopa County polling places. “Security plans are robust and we actively watch & evaluate every potential threat,” it said. On Sunday, election officials sent a letter to Maricopa poll workers and election staff, telling them that law enforcement knew of no active threats, but reminding them to share any concerns.
Sellers, a Republican, said the shooting might spur him to take steps to further protect his own safety, something law enforcement officials have urged him to take more seriously, given the stream of threats he and his fellow local officials have received. “I don’t feel very threatened, but I need to do more,” he said.
The shooting, he said, “made me feel sick.”
The threat of political violence moved abruptly again to the forefront of Americans’ consciousness with the assassination attempt on Trump, but for election officials, an environment of threats and fear has been the uncomfortable norm for years.
In Arizona, and all over the country election officials have been receiving death threats in the years since Trump and his allies claimed the 2020 election was stolen, some of which have led to federal prosecution. The specter of violence has also appeared at polling places and election facilities. For example, in Pennsylvania, two Virginia men were convicted last year for bringing weapons to the Philadelphia Convention Center where mail ballots for the November 2020 election were being counted.
