The County Where ‘Stop the Steal’ Won’t End

A video explainer from the Dispatch.

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Arizona. A state famous for saguaro cactuses, temperatures so hot that planes can’t take off, and election fraud accusations.

No part of Arizona has faced more of those allegations than Maricopa County, a county in the middle of the state containing both Phoenix and Mesa, as well as two-thirds of Arizona’s total population. In 2020, Maricopa was the epicenter of claims about the presidential election being stolen, and following this year’s midterm elections, Maricopa is still making national headlines.

Arizona had a number of high-profile races in 2022, including a very close contest for governor between former Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and former news anchor Kari Lake.

The elections put Maricopa County in the spotlight in particular. Before the election had even happened, Lake was accusing both the state and the county of trying to steal it from her as she claimed they did to Donald Trump in 2020.

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Comments (16)
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  1. Avatar photo
    Paul Britton

    "Fractional voting" !!! When I'm low on belly-laugh endorphins, I just have to read the latest trends in conspiracy theories.

    Remember Eddie Murphy in Trading Places, with his scheme to get rich from having rounded-off fractions of pennies diverted to his bank account? "Fractional voting" reminded me of that glorious grift.

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  2. Avatar photo
    Honest Ape

    "Arizona had a number of high-profile races in 2022, including a very close contest for governor between former Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and former news anchor Kari Lake."

    You need to correct this statement. Katie Hobbs is not the former secretary of state. She is the current SoS. Justified or not, the fact that she has been the overseer of the 2022 elections in Arizona while she ran for governor has been a reason for people to question the results of her race against Kari Lake and of the other close, statewide races where Democrats outpolled Republicans.

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  3. Avatar photo
    Wilhelm

    Nice work, Jonathan. On to Cochise County! :)

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  4. Jim S

    This is all absolute clown dog pony kabuki piano-playing-chicken political theater.

    Even the polling places with printer issues had a drop box RIGHT THERE you could put your ballot in where it would be processed ASAP at the central counting facility. There was no need to go to another location at all.

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    David Hendrickson

    These videos are increasing in quality. I know they haven't taken off in crazy hits yet, but I'm sure they will start to with time. I had no idea Arizona did that oversight live stream method! That's such an interesting fact I hadn't seen anywhere else and really appreciate as a commitment to transparency and oversight.

    Keep up the great work guys. I've shared the last two videos with my friends. Excellent in-depth explanations good editing and without being boring or too long. I really feel like I'm getting the full picture without having one particular message forced down my throat.

    Will you guys do an explainer about the Knesset electionpalooza at some point? That's a subject I keep hearing about in present-day terms but don't know the history surrounding it or how they connect.

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    1. Avatar photo
      Paul Britton

      I started watching the video, and yes, it is indeed done very well, and Mr. Chew has good camera presence.

      But video-watching takes time, and you have to turn off whatever music you're listening to while you read The Dispatch. I'd just rather read.

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    2. Avatar photo
      Jonathan Chew

      Thanks so much! It's really great to hear that :)

      And regarding the Israeli Knesset electionpalooza, I know Adaam did a special episode of the Dispatch Podcast on Nov 6 talking at least about the most recent round of elections! But definitely possible there could be a video explainer at some point too!

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        David Hendrickson

        How do you guys determine what should be a podcast, what should be a Dispatch video explainer, and what should be an article? I'm very curious how your news sausage is made.

        *Gasp!* A Dispatch Explainer Explainer!

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  6. Jim.H

    Given all that happened in 2020, you would think that Maricopa County would have had this election system a little more buttoned up by now…..

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  7. Avatar photo
    Bill Nelson

    The number of people who are interested in the last election is very small. The vast majority of us here simply don’t care, it’s a media thing.

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    1. Avatar photo
      Jonathan Chew

      Honestly I was just interested in the story after hearing about the lawsuit on election day & how Arizona voter behavior has shifted so much! But please let me know if there are other stories you'd be more interested to see in a video!

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        Bill Nelson

        You are wrapped up in the political world, where politics is important. The vast majority of people don’t engage that often or that long. I engage for the political philosophy aspects which I find interesting but it doesn’t impact my life. So I enjoy the read of the piece, just want to temper others expectations about our state.

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        1. Avatar photo
          Wilhelm

          I'm baffled as to what your complaint with the piece is.
          It's politics? Well, yeah. they do some of that at The Dispatch.
          It's embarrassing for Arizona? Well, unless you're part of the problem, you shouldn't be fazed by the Tinfoil Hat Coalition.
          Bill, stories here are kind of like TV. If you don't like this channel, don't watch it. Pretty simple.

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      2. Avatar photo
        Dennis

        And I thank you for your interest in the story. Of course as an Arizonan I do care that that my state has become a national laughingstock. Fortunately, I live in the high desert down near the border where the summer temperatures don’t fry brain cells.

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          Bill Nelson

          It’s a chilly 73 degrees here today. Laugh all you want.

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    2. Very Old Grumpy Guy

      And Kari Lake and Donald Trump - which makes it a media thing.

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