The ACLU is paying special attention to elections in Arizona this year

The American Civil Liberties Union will spend more than $24 million this year to safeguard elections in the United States.

The organization says it’s identified threats in areas including access to voting and election administration and is preparing to take action, including legal action.

The money will be spent nationally, but also in a handful of states — including Arizona, where the group says the risk of election interference and voter disenfranchisement is high.

For more on what this effort might look like, The Show spoke to Victoria López, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona.

Full conversation

MARK BRODIE: Victoria, good morning.

VICTORIA LÓPEZ: Good morning, thanks.

MARK BRODIE: So, what is the concern specifically in Arizona?

VICTORIA LÓPEZ: Well, we’ve seen — first of all, the 2026 midterm election is going to be a hugely consequential election for us in the state. We obviously have top of the ticket candidates vying for votes. We also have major ballot measures that are going to go to the election. But we also will see exactly how elected officials and administrators across the state are actually administering our elections and actually complying with the Constitution and election administration safeguards.

So, a hugely consequential election here in Arizona, certainly, and we can’t ignore the backdrop that’s happening at the federal level with the ... president and the federal administration with rhetoric and a narrative that is really fearmongering and really putting voters in a really tough spot when it comes to the security and the safety of our elections.

MARK BRODIE: How much does the bickering between the Maricopa County supervisors and the recorder play into this? ... This is the state’s most populous county, big vote center here right here in the Phoenix area.

VICTORIA LÓPEZ: Yeah, it’s hard to ignore what’s happening in Maricopa County, and I think we’re seeing that not just in state, but we’re seeing that at a national level. And so, yes, the election will be hugely consequential. What we’re seeing between the recorder and the Board of Supervisors playing out here will have a tremendous effect. And of course, that is one of the huge priorities that we have at the ACLU of Arizona in monitoring what happens not just in Maricopa County, but in the 15 counties across the state.

MARK BRODIE: So, what does your effort look like this year? What are you planning for?

VICTORIA LÓPEZ: Well, voting rights and making sure that people can cast their ballots has been a priority for the ACLU of Arizona for every election cycle and will continue to be after this election cycle as well.

We’ve seen over the last several cycles, 2020, 2024, attempts by elected officials, by people to subvert access to the ballot. We’ve seen people trying ... with hand counts, with fraudulent narratives. And so, keeping an eye on those things, we’ve hired a voting rights attorney, we’ve hired an organizer who’s dedicated to monitoring elections. And we’re working in coalition across the state to make sure that people can cast their ballots and that the elections are administered in the way that they should be.

MARK BRODIE: Does that work — has that work started now? I mean, obviously for the primary, registration, the deadline has passed and everything. Are you working now to make sure that people can vote if they are eligible, and if they are not eligible, to get them registered at least for the general?

VICTORIA LÓPEZ: Yeah, that’s right. I mean, we’ve been planning for this 2026 midterm for over a year now. And that includes the know-your-rights information that we do at the ACLU of Arizona every election cycle to make sure that eligible voters have the information they need to register and to cast their ballots. We’ll continue to do that through November, and then after November, after Election Day, we’ll monitor the election results, and we’ll make sure that those election results are certified properly.

MARK BRODIE: Is what you’re doing this cycle different appreciably than what you have done in previous cycles?

VICTORIA LÓPEZ: In part, no, but in part, as I said, we can’t ignore the backdrop that this election is happening and the intense pressure and the scrutiny that election administrators and that the general public feels around this election cycle.

And so, part of it is making sure that we are providing credible, reliable information to the public about how to cast their ballot and making sure that we’re monitoring. And we’re making sure that elected officials are, in fact, following the Constitution and following the laws when it comes to access for voters and making sure that those votes are counted.

MARK BRODIE: Do you agree with the ACLU national’s suggestion or their opinion that Arizona is one of the states that maybe needs extra attention, that the risk of things like voter disenfranchisement are particularly high?

VICTORIA LÓPEZ: I mean, we’ve seen that election cycle over election cycle, and we’ve been doing that work. I think particularly, as you noted, with Maricopa County and the intense scrutiny and the intense conflict that we’re seeing between the Board of Supervisors and the county recorder sort of necessitates additional attention and additional eyes and additional resources to make sure that voters can do what they need to do this election cycle.

MARK BRODIE: What have you heard from the new hires so far about what they’re hearing, what they’re seeing on the ground?

VICTORIA LÓPEZ: I mean, what we’re seeing is general, just information. People want to know how they can cast their ballot, how they can register, how they can do what they need to do, what our democracy asks of them to do, and make sure that their vote gets counted. And so, having information about who are the cast of characters that administer the elections at the county level and at the state level? How one can register, how one can cast their ballot in a way that makes sense for them.

MARK BRODIE: What is your level of optimism that you will be able to get through this cycle without having to file a lawsuit?

LÓPEZ: I mean, we’ve had to file lawsuits in the last couple of election cycles.

MARK BRODIE: So maybe not such a high level of confidence you won’t have to this time.

VICTORIA LÓPEZ: I think we anticipate that we will probably be involved in some litigation this election cycle. In previous election cycles, we’ve had to file lawsuits, for example, to make sure that polling locations can stay open because people are ... standing in line waiting to cast their ballot. Those kinds of election administration issues, we anticipate having to monitor and potentially file lawsuits over those kinds of issues again.

I think this election cycle, we’re also really mindful of making sure that we don’t have any type of subversion when it comes to people coming in and trying to subvert the election and making sure that election centers, that people can get to those places, that they can cast their ballot safely. And that the certification process and the counting process of those ballots conforms with the law.

MARK BRODIE: OK, we’ll have to leave it there. That is Victoria López, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona. Victoria, thanks so much.

VICTORIA LÓPEZ: Thanks for having me.