Reveal

Swing States of Denial


Listen Later

In 2020, as elections officials counted votes in Phoenix, protesters swarmed outside the Maricopa County election center. Many held flags; some had AR-15s. Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was there yelling into a bullhorn, “Burn in hell, Joe Biden.” They claimed the election was stolen. 


Since then, dozens of court cases across the country have all found no evidence of widespread fraud. Despite that, election workers in Arizona’s Maricopa County and across the country continue to be threatened, harassed, and doxxed.


“Top election officials throughout the state have been turning over at the rate of a lunch shift at Taco Bell,” said Stephen Richer, the Maricopa County recorder. Richer, a Republican, says he voted for Donald Trump in 2020, but since taking office in 2021, he has spent a lot of his time working to dispel the election lies Trump helped create. And he’s faced ongoing death threats for steadfastly pushing back on those lies. 

 

This week on Reveal: Mother Jones reporter Tim Murphy takes listeners inside the recently fortified election center in Maricopa County, where Richer’s staff are on a mission to demonstrate to voters that the election process is free and fair and deserving of their trust. Murphy joins a public tour, one of at least 150 that have occurred since January 2021.


Meanwhile in Georgia, new members of the State Election Board try to rewrite the rules to favor Trump. Mother Jones national voting rights correspondent Ari Berman unpacks the battle for control of the election results in the crucial swing state.


Also on this show, a Reveal exclusive from the archives: an interview with Kamala Harris that has never before been broadcast. Nina Martin sat down with Harris when she was attorney general of California. Their conversation covers an array of topics, from housing to guns—issues that remain central to the presidential election today.

  • Support Reveal’s journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow
  • Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/newsletter
  • Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
  • Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    RevealBy The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7

    4.7

    7,931 ratings


    More shows like Reveal

    View all
    Living on Earth by World Media Foundation

    Living on Earth

    465 Listeners

    On the Media by WNYC Studios

    On the Media

    9,111 Listeners

    Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen by PRX

    Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen

    665 Listeners

    Latino USA by Futuro Media and PRX

    Latino USA

    3,742 Listeners

    Afropop Worldwide by Afropop Worldwide

    Afropop Worldwide

    307 Listeners

    Radiolab by WNYC Studios

    Radiolab

    43,925 Listeners

    Live Wire with Luke Burbank by PRX

    Live Wire with Luke Burbank

    315 Listeners

    This American Life by This American Life

    This American Life

    90,671 Listeners

    Fresh Air by NPR

    Fresh Air

    38,203 Listeners

    The Moth by The Moth

    The Moth

    27,324 Listeners

    The World by PRX

    The World

    911 Listeners

    Snap Judgment by Snap Judgment and PRX

    Snap Judgment

    11,523 Listeners

    Criminal by Vox Media Podcast Network

    Criminal

    37,291 Listeners

    Death, Sex & Money by Slate Podcasts

    Death, Sex & Money

    7,706 Listeners

    Invisibilia by NPR

    Invisibilia

    21,669 Listeners

    Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

    Hidden Brain

    43,391 Listeners

    The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

    The New Yorker Radio Hour

    6,649 Listeners

    Embedded by NPR

    Embedded

    11,992 Listeners

    Code Switch by NPR

    Code Switch

    14,532 Listeners

    Slow Burn by Slate Podcasts

    Slow Burn

    23,929 Listeners

    The Science of Happiness by PRX and Greater Good Science Center

    The Science of Happiness

    1,873 Listeners

    Throughline by NPR

    Throughline

    15,952 Listeners

    Suave by Futuro Media

    Suave

    1,516 Listeners