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On Oct. 24, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs visited Navajo County and conducted election certification classes to employees of the county recorder’s and election office. As part of her efforts to improve the relationships between county election offices and the elections administration, Secretary Hobbs has planned to visit all 15 counties and Holbrook was number 12 on the list. With elections not taking place until next year, Hobbs gave the rundown on why she’s making her rounds so early.
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According to Hobbs, up to this point there has been heavy focus on the metropolitan areas like Phoenix. The secretary explained that since her January 2019 swearing-in, she and her administration are taking a new approach to connecting the smaller communities with the election’s administration.
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“Getting to the counties has really helped us to see face-to-face what the challenges really are.”
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Hobbs said that the process of carrying out elections requires a partnership between the counties and administration, which she made a priority after taking office. “Working to build those partnerships with elections folks around the state is really critical and that’s just not the approach the previous administration took.” Hobbs explained part of her visit was to begin the process of honing in on each county in order to re-establish a better partnership and get a first-hand look at what each individual county’s challenges are.
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“There was very clear evidence that the relationships between the secretary’s office and the counties was pretty damaged,” she said.
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Secretary Hobbs shared that her goal was to provide a constant dialogue leading up to elections assuring every county is properly equipped and informed. One of the major challenges faced by elections officials is the “strategic” constant flow of campaigns in place to deter people from voting, especially where social media is concerned. Part of Hobbs’ approach to get around the misinformation is to increase the exposure of credible resources saying that restoring voter confidence before elections is a focal point for her administration.
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The Secretary of State also addressed youth voters who may be skeptical of voting because of certain tactics meant to lead many to believe that election outcomes are predetermined. “This is how you have a voice in this democracy. Every single vote is so critical. I won my election by one percent. That illustrates how each vote does matter.”
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Hobbs explained that her administration will continue working with each county to ensure that the information being put on their community’s sites, such as county media pages, is funneling the correct information to residents. The Secretary of State added this is just one of several visits each county will be receiving in preparation for upcoming elections.
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