Arizona Voters Prep for Midterms as Election Denialism Reaches Ballot

Volunteers in the Phoenix metro area are preparing for a contentious midterm election, training to monitor polls as election denialism takes center stage in Arizona races.

Medina Moore, a voting rights organizer for the Arizona Faith Network, conducted one of her final training sessions at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Chandler. She instructed new poll monitors on how to handle potential interference, advising them to call a legal hotline, record videos, and remove themselves from intense situations if federal agents appear at polling sites.

Moore has recruited approximately 200 volunteers from local faith groups to serve as nonpartisan observers on Election Day. Her goal is to ensure voters can cast their ballots and that the candidate with the most votes is declared the winner, regardless of party affiliation. She noted that educating voters on factual information has become urgent due to an era of information overload.

The Arizona races are particularly high-stakes because the Republican nominees for governor, secretary of state, and attorney general all played roles in challenging the 2020 election results. Alex Kolodin, the Republican candidate for secretary of state, filed lawsuits contesting those results. His opponent, incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, is running on a platform that reads "Protect your vote," while Kolodin’s signs read "Protect every vote." The outcome of the secretary of state race could influence the 2028 presidential election, as that official certifies state results.

This grassroots effort is part of a nationwide push by nonpartisan organizations to safeguard voting procedures. More than 21,000 people have been trained as poll monitors through the Election Protection coalition. The group plans to station monitors in 40 states and the District of Columbia, supported by about 3,000 legal professionals on a hotline. This civil society effort comes as the Justice Department deploys its largest-ever monitoring program and sends federal observers to polling places in every state.

Tensions have risen in recent weeks as the Trump administration has intensified its focus on election integrity. The Justice Department has sued California, arrested residents, and threatened to prosecute election officials over a claim of 20,000 likely noncitizen voters. The administration also moved to block certification of Alaska’s results if the Republican Senate candidate loses narrowly. President Trump recently offered a $1 million reward for information leading to a voter fraud conviction and stated he would respect the results if they came from honest elections.

Legal teams and Democratic lawmakers have spent months preparing for potential interference, with courts blocking several administrative steps, including attempts to access state voter rolls. In Arizona, where partisan tensions have been high since the 2020 election, residents cite concerns about political violence. Organizers emphasize that their work is nonpartisan, aiming to provide a friendly presence and help voters navigate state laws, such as Arizona’s identification requirements.

PJ Boone-Edgerton Longoni, 70, attended the training in Chandler and said she feels a high-stakes need for citizens to participate. She believes that lack of trust causes systems to fail because democracy relies on trust. The volunteers will answer procedural questions, ensure no one is incorrectly turned away, and report unusual occurrences like long lines or aggressive electioneering to legal staff.