Nonpartisan local reporting on elections and voting

Rachel Leingang

Freelance Reporter
A large metal box reading “Yavapai County Official Drop Box”
FROM Votebeat Arizona Voting Access
Drop box popularity holds strong despite attacks
In some Republican-heavy counties like Yavapai and Yuma, voting via drop box this year actually increased from past primaries.
By Rachel Leingang
 
A woman and man cross a street in front of a yellow sign reading “Vote here / aqui”
FROM Votebeat Arizona Election Security
Election activists are seeking the “cast vote record” from 2020. Here’s what it is and why they want it.
The obscure document produced by some ballot tabulators won’t prove the fraud activists think it will, experts say.
By Rachel Leingang
 
A man speaks into a microphone in a crowded meeting room
FROM Votebeat Arizona Voting Access
Pinal’s election meltdown was years in the making
How the county’s “lean” investment in a neglected office led to an overstretched staff, ballot debacles, and disenfranchised voters.
By Rachel Leingang
 
A man in a shirt and tie sits at a desk with an American flag painted on the wall behind him
FROM Votebeat Arizona
How Stephen Richer endures a job that’s “psychologically unfun”
The Maricopa County recorder channels his energy — and lots of Diet Coke — into defending his elections and answering his critics.
By Rachel Leingang
 
People in colored T-shirts work at several tables on the main floor of a sports arena
FROM Votebeat Arizona Election Security
Arizona attorney general finds one dead voter in investigation of 282 cases
“Many were very surprised to learn they were allegedly deceased,” Brnovich writes in his conclusion to probe of Cyber Ninjas’ claims.
By Rachel Leingang
 
A man at a lectern holds up two sheets of paper
FROM Votebeat Arizona Voting Access
Pinal County ballot debacle could foreshadow errors in other counties
Amid election official turnover and staff shortages in Arizona, experts worry elections “could get a little chaotic.”
By Rachel Leingang
 
A woman in an orange vest gestures before computerized machines while three seated observers watch.
FROM Votebeat Arizona Election Security
Public tests of election equipment aim to thwart conspiracy theories
Skeptics get chance to scrutinize voting system up close, but few show up.
By Rachel Leingang
 
Doug Ducey speaking at a lectern with a bank of microphones
FROM Votebeat Arizona Voter Registration & Rolls
Voting advocates fear new law could disenfranchise some naturalized citizens
Gov. Ducey signs bill — similar to one he previously vetoed — that changes basis for canceling voter registrations.
By Rachel Leingang
 
A voting sign outside a polling place in Maricopa County, Arizona.
FROM Votebeat Arizona Voting Access
What has and hasn’t changed about voting in Arizona ahead of the primary
New pens, new envelopes, more vote centers, earlier counting, and more.
By Rachel Leingang
 
A man bends down to look into the opening of a silver drop box on a sidewalk
FROM Votebeat Arizona
Lawmakers add pilots for “smart” drop boxes, special ballots to Arizona budget
Sweeping election bills failed, but Legislature revives two ideas as scaled-back programs.
By Rachel Leingang