Defend Democracy Project Arizona

Arizona is at the crossroads of democracy, with forces threatening to render elections wholly inaccessible and unrepresentative in the state. While our previous research has focused on individuals’ anti-voter efforts in Arizona, this report will address election deniers’ collective efforts to erode democratic governance at the state level. We surveyed grassroots organizers and reporters across Arizona and spoke to several legal analysts to identify the key risks. 

Our analysis found three primary threats that are intertwined – 

• Election deniers are working at every level to disrupt the electoral process, starting with a slate of bills and ballot initiatives predicated on baseless election conspiracy theories, aiming to constrict ballot access. 

• These ideologues are aligning themselves with extremist groups targeting ballot drop boxes and local election officials, in addition to pushing lawsuits attempting to ban voting machines and force election administrators to hand-count millions of ballots. 

• Finally, the MAGA movement is mounting an extensive effort to derail election certification proceedings by breaching secure voting systems and pushing radical legal theories that would dismantle electoral checks and balances.

These threats constitute an unprecedented attempt to overturn the will of Arizona voters, and pose a grave danger to American democracy. Election deniers are actively working to suppress votes, disrupt election administration, and obstruct certification in order to consolidate power over elections for decades to come.