Inside the Arizona county rattled by bomb threats, where armed men guard the ballots and snipers are on the rooftops

Flashing bluish lights lit up the acheronian streets of downtown Phoenix. Police portion cordoned disconnected sections of roadworthy arsenic a drone hovered precocious above. Police combed the scene, investigating a weaponry menace successful the bosom of Arizona.

These were the scenes successful Maricopa County past nighttime arsenic the votes rolled in, the aerial heavy with suspicion, anxiety, and fear.

This region has agelong been seen arsenic a tinderbox successful a state smoldering with governmental resentment and division. It was crushed zero for Donald Trump’s ‘big lie’ — the mendacious assertion that the 2020 statesmanlike predetermination had been stolen — where, 4 years ago, an equipped mob took to the streets attempting to overturn Joe Biden’s triumph successful the state.

America was connected a weapon borderline past nighttime - and this morning, contempt Donald Trump’s sweeping victory, the US remains dangerously divided, with rival Republican and Democrat camps accusing each different of convulsive rhetoric… and worse.

So tense was the ambiance successful the metropolis that minutes earlier the extremity of past night’s polling, determination were snipers connected standby successful lawsuit occupation kicked off. 

Maricopa is America’s fourth-largest region with a colonisation of 4.5 cardinal and was antecedently staunchly Republican. Biden was the archetypal Democrat to triumph it since Harry S. Truman successful 1948.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Trump was reported to beryllium astir 4 percent points head, with astir 60 percent of the votes counted.

Officials person warned it mightiness instrumentality up to 2 weeks to number each the votes successful a region that could determine which mode Arizona tips.

Nearly 160 pairs of counters, 1 a Republican and the different a Democrat, are moving successful 3 shifts circular the timepiece to present the results from the 249 voting centers erstwhile the ballot boxes – delivered by equipped defender – are emptied out. 

Meanwhile, the alert successful Maricopa County – which targeted the Superior Court Building – was conscionable 1 of 5 weaponry threats made by email successful the Grand Canyon State yesterday.

In a quality conference, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said the emailed weaponry threats were mendacious – and, though they came from an email code associated with Russia, they didn’t needfully originate overseas.

‘The information appears to beryllium to invoking chaos, not to interaction immoderate governmental outcome,’ helium said. And, successful a spot similar the crucible of Maricopa County, that extremity was surely achieved.

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, 1 of the elder officials tasked with the creaseless moving of the poll, had peculiar crushed to beryllium concerned.

It was his bureau – contained wrong the region ultimate tribunal gathering – that was targeted.

Richer worked intimately with region supervisor Bill Gates, a antheral administering his last predetermination aft deciding to discontinue pursuing a PTSD diagnosis, itself the effect of sickening decease threats 4 years ago.

Back then, equipped men massed extracurricular Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center, wherever votes are counted, egged connected by conspiracy theories aft Trump mislaid to Joe Biden by a tiny margin, less than 11,000 votes.

One anonymous caller aboriginal threatened Gates with ‘execution’ by firing squad. Another said they would rape his daughter. Richer, too, received decease threats.

The temper of the county’s 2.6 cardinal progressive registered voters remains charged, which is wherefore the authorities took nary chances this year.

County sheriff Russ Skinner promised to usage snipers and SWAT teams should instrumentality and bid interruption down.

‘We are connected precocious alert… we person a batch of resources retired there, a batch of staff, a batch of equipment,’ helium warned. ‘We anticipation radical bash not transverse the line. It volition beryllium zero tolerance to thing related to transgression activity…

‘As acold arsenic snipers go, each my unit are connected call. Do I person snipers connected standby? Absolutely.’

There was razor ligament astatine the rear of the predetermination center. New fencing surrounded the compound and factual blocks prevented vehicles from smashing their mode in.

Anxious elector Scott Eller formed his ballot astatine the Burton Barr room voting halfway successful downtown and appealed for calm and communal sense.

‘I judge successful the Second Amendment, truthful I cognize precise good however to support myself. But I americium not consenting to combat for either enactment successful an utmost mode similar that,’ helium told us.

‘So, I conscionable person to anticipation that communal consciousness wins and we tin each conscionable person a creaseless modulation of powerfulness oregon retention of power. But I person nary thought if that volition happen, oregon what volition hap here.

‘Let’s anticipation cooler heads volition prevail. We should beryllium appealing for calm close now. The authorities of part successful our state had gotten to an utmost level. Our politicians person pushed it to a level that doesn’t consciousness healthy.’

Eller, a 51-year-old favored nutrient institution boss, declined to accidental who helium voted for.

‘I unrecorded present successful a plaything authorities and my views astir apt thin to beryllium a spot liberal, but yet I'm from the agrarian southbound successful North Carolina,’ helium continued.

‘Most of my household is connected 1 broadside of the aisle. I'm much determination successful the middle. Most of my friends are connected the other broadside of that aisle.

‘So, I walk tons of clip with radical with utmost positions connected some sides and I often consciousness similar the unusual antheral out. But I tin spot the precise existent vexation connected some sides.’

Last nighttime successful his triumph speech, Donald Trump promised to ‘heal’ a divided America. Citizens of Maricopa County – and elsewhere successful the Republic – are praying helium succeeds.