Drones and snipers on standby to protect Arizona vote-counters

Security at this ballot-counting center is on par with what you’d see at an airport—or even a prison. Plans are also in place to scale up security if necessary, including the use of drones, officers on horseback, and rooftop police snipers.

Maricopa County became a focal point for election conspiracy theories after the 2020 presidential election, when Donald Trump circulated unfounded claims of voter fraud after narrowly losing the state to Joe Biden. False claims went viral, armed protesters gathered around ballot-counting locations, and a wave of lawsuits and audits followed.

As Arizona’s most populous county and home to about 60% of its voters, Maricopa has been preparing for this election for over a year, says Sheriff Russ Skinner. His department is managing security at polling sites and ballot-counting centers, with deputies trained specifically in election laws, a rare area of expertise for law enforcement.

When asked about elevated security options like drones and rooftop snipers, Sheriff Skinner said, “Our hope is that it doesn’t come to that. But we’ll be ready to ensure the safety and security of the building and its staff.”

Ballots cast throughout the county are transported to Phoenix for tabulation. Mailed ballots are inspected, with signatures verified. The process is handled carefully, with bipartisan teams checking each ballot for errors, and is livestreamed 24 hours a day.

Since 2020, some aspects have changed. A new Arizona law now requires a recount for races decided by a 0.5% margin, up from the previous 0.1%. The counting center itself now has additional security: high-resolution cameras, armed guards, and two layers of fencing. Thick canvas covers parts of the fencing in the parking lot to protect employees from potential harassment.

The 2020 election aftermath led officials to transform ballot counting from a standard procedure to a high-security event.

“We approach this like a major event, like the Super Bowl,” Sheriff Skinner told the BBC.