Patricia Moore, President
On May 30 and 31, members of the PebbleCreek Republican Club (PCRC) attended a private tour of the Maricopa County Elections & Tabulation Center in downtown Phoenix. On this over 2-hour tour, we heard first from Stephen Richer, our county recorder, who explained the recording process and how we could look up our own property records and track our ballots. Next, Bill Gates, one of the members of our County Board of Supervisors, discussed the voting process, from registration requirements to ways of registering to vote. In Arizona, you must be a citizen to vote. There are special election boards who travel to any voter who is confined-ill or disabled and cannot physically cast a ballot.
Lastly, Reynaldo Valenzuela, director of elections, took us on a tour of the tabulation center, where he showed us some of the new equipment and safeguards that have recently been put in place after the 2022 election to help ensure tabulations are secure. The vast majority of ballots in Maricopa County are counted on central count equipment located in this building. He demonstrated that there are no internet connections. Monitoring is done by cameras that live stream 24-7 and can be viewed by anyone. He assured us that this area is totally restricted to authorized workers only. During tabulation, each political party may have representatives and observers present. He noted that vote center tabulators are used during federal elections, on Election Day only, to count ballots onsite and they must keep a record of votes cast at each location. The results are printed on receipt paper and are stored on two separate encrypted memory cards. The tabulators will only work if both memory cards inside are programmed together.
Every staff member did their best to answer questions from our group. We were each given a packet of information that will help us understand the voting processes involved in Maricopa County and in Arizona. We understand how important free and fair elections are in Arizona, and as a club, we want to be sure we have an informed understanding of how this process works.
We sincerely thank Betty Galanter, the voter outreach manager, for her help in arranging our very informative tour.
Upcoming PCRC July Activities
Tuesday, July 11, Men’s Breakfast—8:30 a.m., Eagle’s Nest Dining Room. RSVP to Chuck Streeter at [email protected].
Wednesday, July 12, Women’s Luncheon—11:30 a.m, Eagle’s Nest Dining Room Alcove. RSVP to Vicki Streeter at [email protected]. Limit 20 members.
For more information, visit the club’s website at www.pebblecreekrepublicanclub.com.
Happy Independence Day! Remember to fly your flag in support of our great country!