Phoenix, AZ— Arizona Democracy Defense Project board members recently joined the Mechanics of Democracy Laboratory at ASU and the Center for the Future of Arizona for a statewide tour to discuss restoring trust in elections. Elections experts and community leaders traveled to Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff to discuss longstanding election processes, solutions to election challenges, and common-sense reforms.

“In Arizona, we believe in federalism and local control because it works,” said Congressman Matt Salmon. “While the Constitution rightly places the responsibility for administering elections with the states, the reality is that elections are carried out by local officials who know their communities, understand their voters, and are directly accountable to the people they serve. Our job as leaders is to push back against either party when they try to claim that our elections are unsafe or they are not working. These statewide convenings serve as a great example of how community leaders of all political affiliations can have respectful and constructive conversations about elections in Arizona.”

According to recent polling data from Center For the Future of Arizona and the Democracy Defense Project, Arizona voters overwhelmingly support the state’s mail in early voting systems. Although there is ongoing national and local rhetoric targeting early voting, this is not a reflection of the will of the voters. In addition, voters prioritize accuracy over speed regarding election results. Panelists also dispelled myths about hand-counting, explaining to the audience that attempting to hand-count millions of ballots inherently introduces massive human error compared to machine tabulation.

“We are now entering our fourth election cycle where unfounded claims against our election system are still being pushed by those with an ulterior agenda,” said Governor Jan Brewer. “Any allegations of fraud or cheating have been debunked numerous times, proving that Arizona elections are secure and administered exceptionally well by our local leaders. I am proud to join leaders from across the state and political aisle to share the truth about Arizona’s elections and protect our system from those spreading false information.”

Local experts also discussed the ongoing debate about voting centers versus precinct level voting, noting that the public widely supports voting centers since it provides more flexibility where a vote can be cast. Reverting to traditional precinct voting would severely hamper rural access and confuse many urban voters.

“The strength of our system lies in its proximity to the people,” said Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines. “For decades, Arizona has maintained a proven track record of secure, accurate, and transparent elections. We have successfully implemented mail voting since 1991 and voter ID requirements since 1996—systems built, refined, and trusted at the local level. Our counties are not only capable of administering elections; they are the very backbone of that success. It was a pleasure joining my colleagues across the state to discuss best practices and how we are preparing for the 2026 election cycle.”

Additionally, there were conversations about proposals to move the drop-off deadline for mail ballots to the Friday before Election Day and how such reforms could be implemented while maintaining maximum ballot access.

“Part of our responsibility as former elected officials and community leaders is to educate the public before election day about the systems in place to secure our elections, without hyperbole and political rhetoric,” said Representative Daniel Hernandez. “This is important because as results come in on election night, and some races become too close to call immediately, voters will understand that there is no foul play. Local election officials are following the legal processes to verify and count every eligible ballot. Our elections are too important to fall victim to misinformation by politicians who only have their own self-interest in mind.”

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