SUMMARY

Arizona became a hotbed of election conspiracies after former President Trump spread lies about the state’s handling of the 2020 vote count. Now, election officials in this key battleground are preparing for round two.

View the transcript here.

News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Where have two people recently been convicted of making threats to election officials?
2. Why has Arizona been a "hotbed" of election conspiracy theories?
3. Who is Stephen Richer and what is his role in Arizona?
4. When did the Arizona legislature seize voting equipment, and what did their audit find?
5. What are some of the ways Arizona is preparing for the 2024 presidential election?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

1. Why do you think conspiracy theories over elections have grown more widespread in recent years?
2. What would be one thing you would recommend states do to build security into their election systems?

Media literacy: Why do you think this segment focused on the state of Arizona, even if election conspiracy theories are a problem across the country?

Alternative: See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?

FOR MORE

What students can do:

A. Research conspiracy theories in US history ranging from Abraham Lincoln's assassination to the moon landing was a fake using this lesson plan, which also includes the video, Helene recovery complicated by lies, hoaxes and conspiracy theories.

B. Watch the video below about foreign governments exploiting division over the elections and discuss as a class:

1. Why do you think adversarial governments are using social media and other strategies to create division and encourage violence in the U.S.?
2. Why do you think this strategy wasn't used 10 or 20 years ago?
3. How do you think state and federal officials should try to counter this interference?

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