Republican Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates will be out of elected office in a few months, but will still be fighting to restore public trust in U.S. elections.
Why it matters: ASU tapped Gates to lead its new University Mechanics of Democracy Laboratory in hopes of correcting misinformation about election systems and encouraging more professionals to pursue careers in election administration.
The big picture: Gates decided not to seek re-election last year after being accused of rigging the 2020 and 2022 elections for Democrats because he certified the results.
- “Few people in their political careers have an inflection point like that. And [the county supervisors] did,” Gates said. ” [N]ow we’re sort of viewed as pariahs in our party.”
Threat level: He’s revealed that the experience left him with PTSD .
What they’re saying: “Because of what I’ve been through, because of what my colleagues have been through, I think it would be sort of tragic for me to just go and practice law,” Gates said of his new gig.