Fireworks, rodeos, and cowboy church: A town's July 4th stands for God and country



Each Independence Day, Prescott, Arizona — a Western city with roughly 47,000 people that still feels like a small-town haven — erupts with vibrant fireworks, the thunder of the rodeo, and parades that fill the streets with Americans waving the Stars and Stripes in celebration of the nation they hold dear.

Located approximately two hours north of Phoenix in Yavapai County, far from Arizona's urban sprawl, Prescott stands firm as a defender of traditional values. Faith, family, and love of country are central to the town's July Fourth celebrations, which extend over the week.

'And to play good country patriotic songs at this event in front of the entire town ... makes my soul shine!'

Some of those festivities include a spectacular fireworks show at the town's beautiful Watson Lake and the Annual Whiskey Row Boot Race, where kids and adults put on their cowboy boots for a Western-spirited dash.

John Heiney, communications outreach manager for the city of Prescott, told Blaze News, "Events in Prescott, specifically for the Fourth of July, bring residents out and visitors to our destination from miles away. Not only do we get to celebrate the 249th anniversary of our country, but we get to celebrate the freedom, beauty, and wonders of our destination. Tourism is the heartbeat of our community, and having a holiday to celebrate with our neighbors and visitors is something we look forward to year after year."

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  Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The rodeo

The World's Oldest Rodeo is arguably the town's most notable event during the week of Independence Day. This year, from June 30 through July 6, Prescott Frontier Days will host several traditional rodeo performances and "Mutton Bustin' Competitions," where young cowboys and cowgirls ride sheep to compete for a gold belt buckle.

The town's Depot Marketplace serves as the venue for rodeo dances, where attendees can enjoy country music performances by "Lonesome Valley," a band led by one of Prescott's most well-known musicians, Sky "Daddy" Conwell.

'The tradition runs deep!'

Conwell told Blaze News, "This is the third year we played at this historic event," adding that he feels "blessed, honored, and humbled" to be a part of it.

"For a small town, Prescott has many amazing musicians and bands, and that they chose us this year makes me smile ear to ear. I've been smiling from the time I got the news!" Conwell said. "And to play good country patriotic songs at this event in front of the entire town (and cowboys and cowgirls from all over the state who always make the trek here for July 4) makes my soul shine!"

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  Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The parades

The Kiwanis Club of Prescott, chartered 101 years ago, will put on the Kiwanis Kiddie Parade during the annual Prescott Frontier Days celebration.

Jim Tilley, the president of the Kiwanis Club of Prescott and a local veterinarian, told Blaze News that this Fourth of July marks the 84th year of the kids' parade, the local club's oldest continuous project.

Approximately 800 children, ages 12 and under, are expected to participate in this year's event, wearing Western and patriotic costumes. Those with the most star-spangled outfits and floats can win prizes.

  Image Source: Kiwanis Club of Prescott

Tilley said, "Kiwanis members and townspeople alike take delight in seeing the smiles on the kids' faces as they walk behind an official police escort in their own downtown. Many of the parents bringing their children reminisce about walking in the Kiddie Parade themselves when they were kids. The tradition runs deep!"

All of the winners of the children's parade are invited to ride on the Kiwanis float in the rodeo parade the following day — the event's 138th annual parade, described as a "wonderful tradition that celebrates our rich Western history."

Honoring first responders

As part of the annual Independence Day celebrations, the Prescott Firefighter's Charities hosts the Hose Cart Races, which originated in the late 1800s as a rivalry between the two hose cart companies before the arrival of fire engines in the 1920s.

'I looked forward to watching him!'

First responders — including firefighters, police officers, and ambulance crew — and their immediate family members are invited to participate in the event, where they race against an opposing team. The challenge involves wheeling historic hose carts to a water source, connecting to a hydrant, and turning on the water to knock down the rival's cone.

  Image Source: Prescott Firefighter's Charities

Amy Seets, the vice president of the PFFC and chair of the Hose Cart Races, told Blaze News that the competition is an event that the entire community eagerly anticipates each year.

"When my son was in high school, he was a [Prescott Fire Department] cadet and looked forward all year to competing on the PFD Cadet hose cart team," she said. "I looked forward to watching him! As an adult, after he came home from the Army, he went to work for Prescott Fire and was back competing in the hose cart races every year, and I still couldn't wait to watch."

Seets explained that the event pays tribute to history and tradition while connecting the community with their local first responders.

  Prescott Firefighter's Charities

Glory to God

Pastor Dale Partridge, the lead pastor of Prescott's King's Way Reformed Church, described the Fourth of July celebrations as a "big moment to remind the nation who we are and who we were."

'It's driven by the moral law of God, the Ten Commandments.'

"We just want to figure out a way that we can engage in any way to help the nation remember that we were founded as a Christian nation," he told Blaze News. "We've taken that position to be engaged, especially on events that are going down downtown with a patriotic tone."

Partridge's church prioritizes remaining active in the Prescott community, upholding the principle that freedom demands stewardship of the sacred values of liberty.

Last year, the church participated in the annual rodeo parade, playing patriotic country music while carrying a large banner and signs reading, "Christ is King."

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  Image Source: Pastor Dale Partridge

"There seems to be more patriotism that is driven by Christianity," he explained. "It's driven by the moral law of God, the Ten Commandments. It's driven by scripture in the Bible."

This faith-first spirit permeates Prescott's celebrations, uniting families and churches in gratitude for God-given freedoms.

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  Image Source: Pastor Dale Partridge

As the week's Fourth of July festivities wind down, the rodeo grounds host Cowboy Church on Sunday, where worshippers gather to praise the Lord and reflect on the blessings of liberty, a fitting capstone to a week rooted in devotion.

In Prescott, Arizona, the Fourth of July celebrations symbolize enduring values that define America. As the fireworks fade over the town's lake, the flame of liberty continues to burn bright.

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America’s Southwest was conquered fair and square



The most striking images from the recent anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement riots in Los Angeles depicted protesters defiantly waving the Mexican flag. Some commentators noted the irony: Why carry the flag of the very country you don’t want to be deported to? Others offered a darker interpretation — the flag wasn’t just a symbol of heritage but a claim. The message: California rightfully belongs to Mexico.

That sentiment echoes the increasingly common ritual of “land acknowledgements” on college campuses. Event organizers now routinely recite statements recognizing that a school sits on land once claimed by this or that Indian tribe. But such cheap virtue signaling skips over a key point: Tribes seized land from each other long before Europeans arrived.

The United States had offered to purchase the disputed territories. Mexico treated the offer as an insult and indignantly refused. And the war came.

Do the descendants of the Aztecs have a claim to California and the rest of the American Southwest? The answer is a simple and emphatic no. The United States holds that territory by treaty, by financial compensation, and, yes, by conquest. But the full story is worth examining — because it explains why Spain and later Mexico failed to hold what the United States would eventually claim.

The rise and fall of the Spanish empire

Spain launched its exploration and conquest of the Americas in the 15th century and eventually defeated the Aztec empire in Mexico. But by the 18th century, Spanish control began to wane. The empire’s model of rule — exploitative, inefficient, and layered with class resentment — proved unsustainable.

At the top were the peninsulares, Spaniards born in Europe who ran colonial affairs from Havana and Mexico City. They had little connection to the land or the people they governed — and often returned to Spain when their service ended.

Below them stood the creoles, locally born Spaniards who could rise in power but never fully displace the peninsulares.

Then came the mestizos — mixed-race descendants of Spaniards and natives — and, finally, the native peoples themselves, descendants of the once-dominant Aztecs, who lived in state of peonage.

Inspired by the American Revolution, Mexico declared itself a republic in 1824. But it lacked the civic traditions and institutional structure to sustain self-government. Political chaos followed. Factionalism gave way to the dictatorship of Antonio López de Santa Anna, who brutally suppressed a rebellion in Coahuila y Tejas.

Texas had long been a trouble spot. Even before independence from Spain, Mexican officials encouraged American settlement to create a buffer against Comanche raids. The Comanche — superb horsemen — dominated the Southern Plains, displacing rival tribes and launching deep raids into Mexican territory. During the “Comanche moon,” their war parties could cover 70 miles in a day. They were a geopolitical power unto themselves.

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  Photo by: Prisma/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Anglo settlers in Texas brought their own ideas of decentralized government. When tensions escalated, they declared independence. Santa Anna responded with massacres at Goliad and the Alamo. But after his defeat and capture at San Jacinto, he granted Texas independence in exchange for his life. Mexico’s government refused to honor the deal — and continued to claim Texas, insisting that the border lay at the Nueces River, not the Rio Grande.

How the Southwest was won

After the United States annexed Texas in 1845, conflict became inevitable. Mexican forces crossed the Rio Grande and clashed with U.S. troops. President James Polk requested a declaration of war in 1846.

The Mexican-American War remains one of the most decisive — and underappreciated — conflicts in U.S. history. The small but capable U.S. Army, bolstered by state volunteers, outclassed Mexican forces at every turn. American troops seized Santa Fe and Los Angeles.

General Zachary Taylor pushed south, winning battles at Resaca de la Palma and Monterrey. General Winfield Scott launched a bold amphibious assault at Veracruz, then cut inland — without supply lines — to capture Mexico City. The Duke of Wellington called the campaign “unsurpassed in military annals.”

The war served as a proving ground for a generation of officers who would later lead armies in the Civil War.

Diplomatically, the war might have been avoided. The United States had offered to purchase the disputed territories. Mexico treated the offer as an insult and indignantly refused. And the war came.

Territory bought and paid for

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the conflict. Mexico ceded California and a vast swath of land that now includes Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. Mexico also gave up its claim to Texas and accepted the Rio Grande as the southern border.

In return, the United States paid Mexico $15 million “in consideration of the extension acquired by the boundaries of the United States” and assumed certain debts owed to American citizens. Mexicans living in the newly acquired territory could either relocate within Mexico’s new borders or become U.S. citizens with full civil rights. The Gadsden Purchase added even more land.

The United States gained enormously from the war at the expense of Mexico. Critics of the expansionist policy known as “manifest destiny,” including the Whigs and Ulysses S. Grant, called the result unjust. Some Southerners wanted to annex all of Mexico to expand slavery. That plan was wisely rejected, though the “law of conquest” made it a possibility.

Still, the U.S. paid for the land, offered citizenship to the inhabitants, and declined to claim more than necessary. In the rough world of 19th-century geopolitics, that counted as a just outcome.

Man with death wish gives chilling jailhouse confession of murdering and crucifying pastor, planned to kill over a dozen more



A man accused of the brutal murder of a beloved pastor confessed to the grisly killing, according to a chilling jailhouse interview. The suspect claimed he had a death wish and planned to kill over a dozen more pastors around the country.

As Blaze News previously reported, Maricopa County sheriff deputies discovered the dead body of William Schonemann — a 76-year-old beloved pastor — on April 28. Schonemann — affectionately known as "Pastor Bill" — reportedly was found covered in blood at his home in New River.

'I want the death sentence.'

Multiple sources informed KSAZ-TV that Schonemann appeared to have suffered from significant injuries and that his arms were spread out and his hands were pinned to a wall.

Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan described Schonemann's death as the most "tragic and bizarre" he's ever seen.

Police arrested 51-year-old Adam Christopher Sheafe in Sedona on April 30 after he allegedly burglarized a home.

Sedona Red Rock News reported that Sheafe was charged with second-degree burglary, unlawful flight from a pursuing law enforcement vehicle, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, leaving the scene of an accident with an injury, criminal damage, theft or control of stolen property, first-degree trespassing, possession of a stolen vehicle, and resisting arrest.

Authorities noted that Sheafe has a lengthy criminal history across several states.

Sheafe allegedly told authorities that he broke into houses to steal needed "supplies."

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Then in a shocking jailhouse confession, Sheafe admitted to murdering Schonemann and "crucifying" the beloved man of God.

Sheafe explained the gruesome details in a startling interview with KNXV-TV, during which he also declared that he wants the death penalty.

Sheafe said he drove to Schonemann's house at "like two in the morning, maybe, and parked. And then I just went in there and did it."

In an eyebrow-raising jailhouse interview with KTVK-TV, Sheafe admitted that he planned to go on a priest-killing spree across the country. After Schonemann's death, he traveled to Sedona where he intended to kill two others, KTVK said, but he was arrested for burglary and other charges. Then came his confession.

Sheafe stated that he planned to "execute" 14 pastors across 10 states. Schonemann was the first.

“I was going to start in Phoenix and end in Phoenix and circle the nation," he said. "Starting in Arizona, where I was born. Where it starts is where it ends, like the Garden of Eden."

“From there, it was Las Vegas, Nevada; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Billings, Montana; Detroit, Michigan; New York, New York; Charlotte, North Carolina; Mobile, Alabama; Beaumont, Texas; and El Paso, Texas," Sheafe explained. "So four of them were going to get hit in Arizona."

Sheafe continued, "I'm not interested in executing anyone other than the pastors or the shepherds leading the flock astray."

Sheafe was asked if he was "feeling satisfied," to which he responded, "Look, it’s not my heart to go around killing people."

When asked how he would feel if someone attempted to crucify him, Sheafe replied, "Good luck trying."

Sheafe reportedly told the FBI that he wanted the death sentence.

“I told the FBI agent, 'Look, I want the death sentence,'" Sheafe told KNXV. "I'll plead guilty right now, on the spot ... I want the death sentence, and I want the execution date right now."

Sheafe told KTVK, "Well, I want to be executed quickly so we can get this show on the road and show exactly what I’m trying to do. ... All you gotta do is worship Jesus and you go to heaven; your sins are forgiven. That’s not what God said."

Sheafe argued that God will "absolutely" forgive him of his sins.

"He is a forgiving God and loving God," he said.

Sheafe declared, "It’s a commandment to rid Israel of evil."

Sheafe's father told KTVK in a separate story that his son changed after he became "extremely interested" in the Old Testament.

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The family of Schonemann — who served in the Navy, including a tour in Vietnam — told KOLD-TV in April, "Our dad had such a positive impact on people everywhere he went. We will miss the loving guidance and patience. The happiness he showed just getting to walk around an airport, getting his steps in."

The family added, "There are never enough words to say it all or to say it as well as a person would like. Simply, he is missed."

Those who knew Pastor Bill said his grisly death is "unfathomable."

"Who would do that? Why would anyone hurt Bill? I don't understand how someone could do something like that. It’s still unfathomable," neighbor Eric Asher told the Arizona Republic in May.

Mike Anders, another neighbor, said their community remains shocked over Schonemann's murder.

"I mean, we locked our doors last night. It’s just something that we are just not used to doing," Anders told KSAZ. "Everybody is just, until we know what’s going on, we don’t know if it was a family member, or, we don’t know what, who could do this to him."

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Trump’s ICE busts 11 illegal Iranian nationals: Terror suspect, ex-sniper, and another with Hezbollah ties



Following the United States' weekend strike on Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, the Trump administration's Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrest of nearly a dozen Iranian nationals who are illegally in the country.

The former Biden administration's open-border policies have sparked concerns that potential terrorists and other threat actors have flooded into the U.S. undetected, raising the risk of the formation of sleeper cells.

'We don't wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump's mandate to secure the homeland.'

ICE's arrests, which took place over the weekend, included a suspected terrorist, an individual with admitted ties to Hezbollah, and an alleged former Iranian Army sniper, according to a Tuesday press release from ICE.

The Department of Homeland Security stated that the arrests reflect the agency's "commitment to keeping known and suspected terrorists out of American communities."

Immigration agents in Mississippi apprehended Yousef Mehridehno. The U.S. government terminated his residency in 2017 after it determined that he made false statements on his original visa application and potentially committed marriage fraud. The federal government in February listed Mehridehno as "a known or suspected terrorist," the press release said.

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  Yousef Mehridehno. Image Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Mehran Makari Saheli, a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with admitted connections to Hezbollah, was arrested in Minnesota. He was previously convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and a judge ordered his removal in 2022.

  Mehran Makari Saheli. Image Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

ICE Atlanta arrested Ribvar Karimi, who was reportedly carrying his Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card, which noted that he was previously an Iranian Army sniper from 2018 to 2021. ICE determined that he was eligible for removal after he entered the U.S. on a marriage visa in 2024 and allegedly broke federal law by failing to adjust his immigration status.

  Ribvar Karimi. Image Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad, who was reportedly carrying a loaded firearm when ICE Houston arrested him, entered the country on a student visa in 2016 and was arrested the following year in Texas for allegedly assaulting his wife, impeding her breathing. His wife obtained a restraining order, claiming that he had threatened her and her family in Iran. An immigration judge ordered his removal in October 2019 after his status was terminated due to academic suspension.

  Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad. Image Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

ICE Houston also arrested Hamid Reza Bayat, who was convicted of drug crimes and driving on a suspended license. An immigration judge previously ordered his removal nearly two decades ago.

  Hamid Reza Bayat. Image Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

In Phoenix, Arizona, federal immigration agents apprehended Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, an illegal alien who received removal orders after he was convicted for threatening a law enforcement office and unlawful possession of a firearm.

  Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand. Image Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Agents also arrested Linet Vartaniann, an American citizen, for allegedly harboring Eidivand and threatening to open fire on officers. The agency claimed that Vartaniann stated she would "shoot ICE officers in the head" if they entered her home.

  Linet Vartaniann. Image Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

ICE officials in Colorado Springs nabbed Mahmoud Shafiei and Mehrdad Mehdipour, two illegal aliens living together. Shafiei was convicted of drug crimes and previously arrested for alleged assault and child abuse. A judge ordered Shafiei's removal in 1987.

  Mahmoud Shafiei. Image Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

  Mehrdad Mehdipour. Image Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Federal immigration agents in San Francisco apprehended Bahman Alizadeh Asfestani, who has a criminal history, including a conviction for theft and possession of a controlled substance for sale.

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  Bahman Alizadeh Asfestani. Image Source: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Mohammad Rafikian, who has a lengthy rap sheet, was arrested on Monday by ICE Buffalo. He was previously convicted of grand larceny, schemes to defraud, criminal impersonation, and practicing as an attorney.

Also on Monday, federal agents in San Diego grabbed Arkavan Babk Moirokorli, an illegal alien convicted of forging an official seal.

'Very commonly, such groups are engaging in criminal acts to raise money, promote propaganda, recruit assets, or source technology and equipment.'

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, "Under Secretary Noem, DHS has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden's fraudulent parole programs or otherwise."

"We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out — and we are. We don't wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump's mandate to secure the homeland," she added.

When Blaze News contacted ICE for comment, it directed us to its press release. The agency would not respond to specific questions about the arrested illegal aliens' potential terrorist cell involvement, whether they had previously been under surveillance, or had known or suspected contact with Iranian officials.

Kyle Shideler, the director and senior analyst for homeland security and counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy, told Blaze News, "While the term 'sleeper cell' captures the imagination, it's better to think of such cells as 'terrorist infrastructure.'"

"Very commonly, such groups are engaging in criminal acts to raise money, promote propaganda, recruit assets, or source technology and equipment," Shideler continued. "That doesn't mean they may not possess military or terrorist training and the ability to conduct attacks. But it does allow a proactive law enforcement approach, which seeks to find and remove such threats before it becomes truly dangerous. Aggressive immigration enforcement is good counterterrorism."

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Leftist No Kings event in Arizona draws older crowd with patriotic symbols



Scottsdale, Ariz. — Saturday morning, progressive activists across the nation protested against President Donald Trump and the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary parade in Washington, D.C.

Blaze News was on the ground in Scottsdale, Arizona, where one of the roughly 2,000 No Kings demonstrations occurred.

'Stop the coup.'

Rally-goers were set to meet at the southwest corner of Scottsdale Road and Camelback Road, directly across the street from Scottsdale Fashion Square, a shopping center. In May 2020, this mall endured millions of dollars in damages during the Black Lives Matter riots, leading to dozens of arrests for looting and criminal damage. Those events left lingering fears among some locals that Saturday's protest could spark similar destruction.

On Saturday morning, a few hundred protesters gathered in the area, spreading across all sides of the intersection and occasionally spilling into nearby blocks. Concrete barriers kept the crowd, which mostly included adults in their 50s and older, from blocking traffic.

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  Image Source: Blaze News

A strong law enforcement presence monitored the area, with local police patrolling the perimeter and periodically moving through the crowd, maintaining order without incident.

Protesters attending the No Kings rallies, which were reportedly backed by 198 groups with $2.1 billion in annual revenue, were encouraged to show up at the events with American flags to "reclaim" national symbols.

In Arizona, protesters lined the sidewalks with stars and stripes and signs criticizing Trump and Elon Musk. Several flags and signs featured "1776" and other patriotic imagery and rhetoric typically seen at conservative rallies.

At one point, protesters played Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A.," while one demonstrator held a sign reading, "No one is illegal."

Other signs declared, "Oppression is the mask of fear," "Hands off our NPR," and "Stop the coup."

One protester's sign, reading "American made guillotines 'fit for a king,'" stood out as the most provocative.

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  Image Source: Blaze News

Many passing vehicles honked their horns in support of the gathering.

While there did not appear to be any significant presence of counter-protesters, several individuals with pro-Trump decals and flags drove by to show their support for the president.

The protest, which remained peaceful, largely fizzled out by the early afternoon.

Several other No Kings demonstrations occurred across the Phoenix metropolitan area. Local news estimated that "thousands" participated.

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This conservative fix — without protections — could help Democrats rig elections



Conservatives across the country are building momentum to clean up elections. Donald Trump’s proposals call for paper ballots, voter ID, and in-person voting on Election Day only. These reforms would mark a major improvement over the chaotic 2020 election — when Joe Biden somehow received more votes than any presidential candidate in history.

But tightening election procedures also risks reviving an old Democratic trick: voter suppression.

The inability to print a ballot is ultimately no different than a refusal to provide a ballot to a voter. It is voter suppression.

In an ideal system, voting would happen exclusively on paper ballots and in person. No mail-ins. No drop boxes. ID required.

However, to counter suppression efforts in Republican precincts, polls should remain open for several days — perhaps even a full week. Extending in-person voting would allow voters to push back against the tactics designed to keep them home.

I am well aware of how voter suppression works because I have the scars to prove it. When I started voting in Travis County (Austin), Texas, in the 1980s, ballot suppression in Republican precincts was an established protocol by the Democrats who ran the county. The strategy was two-pronged:

Insufficient voting booths: Conservative precincts were provided very few voting booths, causing extremely long lines. I watched many people drive up, look at the line, then drive away. Many other would-be voters already in line would finally give up and forgo voting. While my precinct had four or five booths, I’d later watch the evening news show Democratic precincts outfitted with dozens.

Ballot shortages: It was a predictable occurrence that Republican precincts would run out of ballots before the polls closed due to “unexpectedly” high turnout. Those in line could either wait for hours until someone showed up with “provisional” ballots, or they could give up. Most people would not wait in line until 10 p.m. just to cast a vote.

Not enough ballots

I was in the habit of voting first thing in the morning on Election Day to ensure I got a ballot. Even though the wait was long due to the bottleneck caused by so few voting booths, I would at least get my vote in. But the ballot I cast also resulted in a missing ballot for someone else trying to vote later in the day, as Democratic officials who ran the county made sure that there were fewer ballots than voters in my precinct.

The county elections administrator always had an excuse for the ballot shortages in Republican precincts. She’d cite a local statute that required her to allocate ballots based on average county turnout. Since Republican precincts had higher voter turnout than the county as a whole, shortages were guaranteed — by design.

When early voting finally came about several years later, I was thrilled. I was tired of battling my own county officials just to cast a Republican vote.

Decades later, these tactics are still in use.

The recent Wisconsin Supreme Court election, for example, drew national attention because the outcome could affect midterm Congressional redistricting, which could then swing control of the U.S. House of Representatives from Republican to Democrat.

On Election Day in Milwaukee, 69 of its 180 precincts reported ballot shortages, and nine precincts ran out of ballots completely. Milwaukee’s top election official offered a familiar excuse: Ballots were printed based on past turnout. But voter participation surged to 50%, far above normal for a spring election. It was “unexpected.”

Some conservatives pushing for same-day voting likely haven’t considered that those in charge of ballot preparation might simply not provide enough.

Ballot printing — or lack thereof

Another method of voter suppression involves ballot printing. If the printer “breaks,” there’s no ballot to cast. This tactic has benefited Democrats in recent elections, such as in Phoenix, Arizona’s Maricopa County, and Texas’ Harris County.

In the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election, Republican Kari Lake narrowly lost by 17,000 votes out of 2.5 million counted ballots. Long lines due to printer problems caused many Arizonans to give up and leave before voting. Moreover, thousands of ballots that were printed could not be read by ballot-counting machines.

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  cosmaa via iStock/Getty Images

Similarly, in the 2022 gubernatorial election in Texas, printer problems prevented many voters in Republican precincts around Houston from being able to obtain a ballot. As reported by the Houston Chronicle, a few days after the election, “More than a dozen voting locations in Harris County ran out of the paper used to print ballots in voting machines Tuesday, county officials confirmed. Some sites, poll workers and voters said, had no ballots on hand for one to two hours.”

“From our standpoint, it seems there was an attempt to make sure there were not enough ballots at Republican polls,” the chairman of the Harris County GOP told the Chronicle. The inability to print a ballot is ultimately no different than a refusal to provide a ballot to a voter. It is voter suppression.

Ample ballots, ample booths

If we are going to use all-paper ballots, states need to mandate that each precinct open on Election Day with enough printed ballots for every registered voter. Any unused ballots must be destroyed after polls close to protect election integrity.

There also must be enough voting booths to ensure that long lines don’t become a voting deterrent.

Personally, I’d prefer that in-person, paper ballot voting be allowed over several days to ensure that Democrats cannot engage in Election Day voter suppression tactics. One suppressed Republican ballot carries the same weight as one fraudulent Democratic vote stuffed in a ballot box.