PHOENIX — Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates will be trying to restore public trust in Arizona's elections upon his retirement from elected office.
Arizona State University announced Thursday that Gates will be directing research at the university's new Mechanics of Democracy Laboratory.
Through his new role at MODL, Gates said he will be "correcting misunderstandings and mis- and disinformation through public education while encouraging students to seek careers in running elections," according to an ASU release.
Gates and other election officials were subjected to scrutiny and threats during Arizona's 2020 and 2022 elections when multiple Democrats won high-profile races and Maricopa County's GOP-controlled board of supervisors upheld the results. A Phoenix man was later put on probation for sending a threatening email in November 2022 to Gates, warning the supervisor he may soon be poisoned.
Gates, a Republican, ended up deciding not to seek another term in office.
The MODL was created in response to the growing amount of distrust in local elections and false allegations levied against election administrations. The lab will be offering election-related resources for the public and training students for possible jobs in administering elections.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
