Arizona election integrity; Arizona Trail closes; Arizona founding fathers

In this episode of “Arizona Horizon,” we will hear about a new initiative to improve election integrity in Arizona. The Arizona Democracy Defense Project, the Mechanics of Democracy Laboratory at ASU and the Center for the Future of Arizona came together to emphasize the importance of trusting elections. The findings show that Arizona voters prefer the state’s mail in early voting systems and look for accuracy in election results rather than speed. Former Arizona Representative Matt Salmon (R) joined Ted Simons to give more information on the project’s goals.

We will also discuss the Arizona National Scenic Trail’s closure, meant to give way to border wall construction after The Department of Homeland Security and the Arizona Trail Association announced a double-layered border wall through the Coronado National Memorial. Trump administration officials say there is a possibility of the trail reopening in late 2027. To discuss more about this, Matthew Nelson, executive director of Arizona Trail Association and Eamon Harrity, program manager at Sky Island Alliance Wildlife, joined Ted Simons to discuss the changes taking place.

Finally, we will learn about Arizona’s founding fathers with Maurice Crandall, an associate professor of history at ASU and citizen of the Yavapai-Apache Nation of Camp Verde.