Ahead of key 2024 elections, AZ officials gear up. See one county's extensive new security
FLAGSTAFF — Ahead of a key election cycle that will determine control of the White House and Arizona's Legislature, Coconino County is more prepared than ever.
The county on Monday opened its new Elections Center on Flagstaff's west side — a 9,000 square-foot facility that houses all of the county’s election staff. It's a marked improvement from the previous setup, where staff were spread across multiple offices.
“This building is designed for accessibility, transparency, and integrity,” Coconino County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeronimo Vasquez said during the grand opening.
“This facility is an investment for the community and puts resources where they are needed to best serve Coconino citizens now and in the future.”
In addition to administrative offices, the new building also houses a training space for poll workers and will be a one-stop-shop for candidates submitting their filings. The warehouse space also stores all of the equipment necessary to assemble a polling site on Election Day, including voting booths, ballot boxes, signs and more.
While the space is open to the public, the security protocols are extensive — allowing people to observe the election process without compromising election integrity.
“I hope what everybody who comes through here sees is just how transparent it is, how secure it is, how well-staffed and how open it is,” Vasquez said. “Because at the end of the day we’re trying to show that everybody’s vote counts and it's done fairly."
All of the tabulation rooms are only accessible by key card, with restrictions on who can enter. The facility is also monitored by cameras throughout the building, including rooms for both digital tabulation and mandatory hand counts, where voters can watch livestreams of ballot counting to ensure transparency.
During the tabulation process, official election observers in the room will be given color-coded vests signifying their party affiliation to be easily identifiable to anyone who is watching the ballot counting, whether it be in person or online.
To prevent tampering, the election equipment is hardwired to a closed network. Counted ballots will be stored in sealed boxes in a locked metal cage that will then be officially sealed when it is full.
But despite the county not having a centralized location for election administration in the past, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes acknowledged the long history of successful elections across the region.
“What I congratulate you on today isn’t something new and exciting and transparent that’s going to change things,” Fontes said ahead of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It's a continuation of what has always happened in Arizona.”
Other counties already planning election upgrades
Coconino County isn't the only one getting a new and updated elections space.
In Maricopa County, officials have long been planning a nearly $70 million renovation of the county's election headquarters, located in downtown Phoenix. The upgrade will include expanding the building's second floor to create space for Recorder's Office staff. Currently, the building is entirely occupied by the county Elections Department.
The full remodel won't be complete before this year's elections, but some spaces are already being revamped to accommodate more workers.
Meanwhile, Pinal County election officials are preparing to move this year to a brand-new facility in Florence. Officials say the county's current elections office, located in Coolidge, is too cramped to process an increasing number of ballots as its population booms.
Arizona Republic's reporter Sasha Hupka contributed to this article.
Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.
The Republic’s coverage of northern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. To support regional Arizona news coverage like this, make a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Flagstaff is now home to Coconino County's new Elections Center
