Arizona elections are transparent, honest

Robin Schaeffer

Submitted photo/Schaeffer family

Joe Schaeffer

Submitted photo/Schaeffer family

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Tuesday, Oct. 27 is the last day Independent Newsmedia will publish new election-related letters online, to allow candidates the right to respond to criticisms about their candidacy before Election Day. We will resume Nov. 4. Candidates may submit a 150-word reply addressing criticisms only and should email them to azopinions@iniusa.org along with their name, address, contact number and the headline of the letter they’re addressing.

OPINION — Arizona’s election system doesn’t rely on blind trust. It’s built on transparency.

Ballot processing and other activities at the Maricopa County Tabulation & Election Center are livestreamed 24 hours a day. Teams of political observers from the various political parties monitor ballot verification procedures, tabulator checks and other operations.

Maricopa County is the nation’s third-largest voting jurisdiction, with over 2.5 million registered voters. Administering an election here is an enormous endeavor. It can be challenging to understand how the system works — and that complexity can invite tales about rigged elections. Don’t believe it. Arizona voters should know there are safeguards in place to ensure this is a safe, secure election with every lawful vote counted. 

We’ve learned for ourselves by participating in a bipartisan, local group, Pillars of the Community, which brings together Arizonans from every political perspective to learn about the election system so we can help inform our friends, neighbors and colleagues. This is vital to restoring trust in elections, one person at a time.

We toured MCTEC to see how mail-in ballots are verified and tallied, chain-of-custody procedures for tabulators and other election equipment, and protocols that ensure poll workers and election observers are comprised of people from each of the political parties. We also heard directly from state and local elections officials and asked questions. 

These are the facts:

• Arizona tabulation machines are never connected to the internet.

• Voting by non-citizens is illegal — Arizona voters must prove citizenship when registering and show ID at the polls.

• Arizonans vote on paper ballots that can be audited and recounted for accuracy.

Don’t take our word for it; schedule a tour of MCTEC or view one of the multiple livestream feeds to watch election workers in action.

Arizona voters can have confidence in the process and people administering this election.

Robin Schaeffer is a registered nurse and former executive director of the Arizona Nurses Association. Joe Schaeffer is a retired teacher.