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Consider This from NPR

What does it take to run a free, fair and peaceful election?

Consider This from NPR

NPR

News Commentary, Daily News, News, Society & Culture

4.26.2K Ratings

🗓️ 20 October 2024

⏱️ 12 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Millions of ballots are tabulated at the Maricopa County Tabulation Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Inside and out, the building is a fortress.

It's the legacy of the 2020 election when armed protestors gathered outside the building on election night. After Arizona was called for Joe Biden there were months of allegations about voter fraud.

At a time when election results are routinely challenged, candidates cry foul and protesters threaten violence...what does it take to run an election?

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Right outside the place where millions of election ballots get tabulated.

0:04.0

And if you look up, you will see that it would be a really bad idea to climb the fence here.

0:10.0

So the fence here standing in front of is about a six and a half foot fence and this was

0:14.3

added post 2020.

0:15.7

I see the very sharp spikes at the end of each post on this fence.

0:19.9

Is that on purpose?

0:21.7

A little intentional,

0:23.0

little imposing, but also...

0:24.0

Taylor Kinnarup is on the communications team for county elections.

0:28.0

She's showing us around the Maricopa County

0:30.0

Tabulation and election center here in Phoenix, that's McTeck for short.

0:35.0

And let's just say you managed to maneuver over this spiky fence

0:40.0

without getting impaled, well then you would have to contend with this.

0:45.0

But it's a chain-link fence and then in front of that we have the concrete K-rails.

0:49.0

Those are additional barriers we add during an active election time.

0:52.0

So how many barriers are we talking like later? additional barriers we add during an active election time.

0:52.6

So how many barriers are we talking like layers of walls and gates and fences?

0:57.6

Multiple barriers we have three fences per se and then once you get inside we also have additional guards.

1:04.0

They got the guards, they got the metal detectors, the doors that only unlock with

1:08.9

special badges, the secure cages that store the ballots.

1:13.0

Oh, and don't forget to look up.

1:15.0

If you smile right now, we are on live stream cameras.

...

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