Concrete barriers, high wire fences and armed agents inside: on the eve of the American presidential election, the election center in Phoenix, Arizona, looks like a fortress.
Unthinkable anywhere in the United States a few years ago, these kinds of security measures are becoming commonplace in a crucial swing state that has been the focus of swirling conspiracy theories since Donald Trump lost in 2020.
“What is at stake is very, very important and very serious here, and that is the foundation of this democratic republic, which are our elections,” warned Bill Gates, an election official in Maricopa County, the most populous county in Arizona, which includes state capital Phoenix.
Trump lost Arizona to Joe Biden by less than 10,500 votes in 2020.
Armed demonstrators protested for several nights in front of the county’s election center in the heart of Phoenix as staff tallied the ballots inside.
The Republican nominee still refuses to acknowledge that defeat, fueling suspicion and distrust in the state, where a belief that the poll was rigged is practically an article of faith for some in his party.