Election workers sort ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center on Nov. 9, 2022, in Phoenix. Photo by John Moore | Getty Images
As concerns grow nationwide about potential political violence at the polls , Maricopa County, the nation’s fourth most populous county, is trying to alleviate security concerns one week out from Election Day.
As of Oct. 28, the county had received more than one million early ballots with the bulk of them — over 940,000 — coming to the county via ballot drop boxes or the United States Postal Service. The remaining 75,000 have come from voters who used early polling locations.
Maricopa County Director of Elections Scott Jarret said, during a Tuesday press conference in Phoenix, that the county is surpassing voter turnout for the 2016 and 2020 elections. On Oct. 28 alone, more than 17,000 voters cast their early ballots, according to Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates.
As voter turnout has increased, so has a national focus on Maricopa County, which has been at the forefront of election fraud conspiracy theories , and has had a number of high profile candidates who have made national and international headlines for promoting these theories. Arizona has morphed into a swing state in recent years, leading to increased attention from political campaigns and news media across the country.