Elections workers watch as the first batch of primary ballots get tabulated at the start of counting at the Pima County Elections Center on Aug. 2.

 Kelly Presnell Arizona Daily Star

Arizona’s general election is approaching, and with it apprehension about how things will go in a state at risk for related intimidation and violence.

β€œAs we consider the armed protests in Maricopa (County) around the 2020 election, we have reasons to be concerned about what might happen this year in Maricopa and other parts of the state,” said Tucson’s Ron Barber, who is collaborating with Scottsdale’s Don Henninger on a new effort: the Arizona Democracy Resilience Network.

Barber, a Democrat and former congressman, and Henninger, a Republican and former newspaper publisher, started the network as part of a nationwide push by the Carter Center. The nonprofit, founded by former President Jimmy Carter, typically works on advancing democracy outside of the United States but, after the 2020 election, efforts within the country were started.

Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Florida are states where the Carter Center is currently focused. After the General Election Nov. 8, democracy teams will also be started in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. All of the states included are considered battleground states, ones where tension and threats frequently tend to surface, Barber said.

β€œOur democracy, I am afraid to say, is in real danger,” he said. β€œOnline chatter is very alarming and voluminous.”

β€˜Cracking points’

Barber had recently retired when he was asked, last December, to team with an Arizona Republican for this cross-partisan effort.

Together, Barber and Henninger are now working to increase cooperation with election officials, keep false information in check, and support election outcomes after the results have been certified.

One of their biggest concerns: people upset over election results making false claims of fraud.

β€œI’m concerned that people who don’t win won’t accept it,” Henninger said. Some Arizona candidates are already saying that if they don’t win, there must be fraud involved, he said.

Such allegations are what Henninger calls β€œcracking points in our democracy.”

β€œThe good news is there’s still time to put things right,” he said, β€œbut we need to be paying attention to it now.”

Barber and Henninger are asking every Arizonan running for elected office to agree to four principles: have civil campaigns, trust the officials, promote fair voting without intimidation, and accept the outcome.

The network will continue through both the 2022 and 2024 elections, Barber said.

β€œMost Americans, if asked, would agree violence has no place to play in our elections,” he said. β€œThe Republicans we’ve recruited are concerned. They want to restore honesty to the process.”

Barber said that while Pima County did not have the same armed protests as Maricopa County in 2020, the potential exists here and throughout the state.

β€œWe also know that there were armed protests in Prescott and Prescott Valley. Armed militia marched there and were accompanied by neo-Nazis,” he said. β€œElection officials in Yuma County and Yavapai County have resigned because of the threats they, and members of their family, have received.”

β€˜A very critical moment’

In order to influence people in Arizona’s communities, Barber and Henninger are reaching out to faith and business leaders as well as organizations already working to protect voter rights and election processes.

Their focus right now is finding faith leaders from both conservative and liberal backgrounds to be their messengers, Barber said.

So far, 60 religious leaders from across the state have been invited to meet virtually, at the end of September, with Barber and Henninger. They will be asked to urge people to accept election results and not become violent, or incite violence, if their candidate loses.

Maricopa County’s Lisa Jernigan, co-founder and president of Amplify Peace, said she is helping with the network because its approach is nonpartisan and it β€œseeks to build bridges rather than promote more division and polarization.”

The need for understanding is urgent, said Jernigan, who is concerned the fallout from this next election could lead to more polarization.

β€œIn talking with Ron and Don, they believe we can make a difference in this political season of 2022 and beyond into the 2024 election,” she said. β€œMuch of this difference will come through collaboration of individuals and various organizations and communities working together, inviting others into this narrative to create understanding and different outcomes from previous elections.”

Pastor Bart Smith with St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Tucson has also signed on to help Barber and Henninger.

β€œThis is a very critical moment for our democracy,” Smith said. β€œOur democracy is in a fragile state.”

Getting people from all religions, ideologies and political backgrounds to participate is vital, he said.

β€œWe have a critical role to play in mending our social fabric,” he said. β€œIt’s about the future of democracy, and it’s about public safety.”

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Contact reporter Patty Machelor at 520-235-0308 or pmachelor@tucson.com.