‘Democracy is teetering’: at ground zero for Trump’s big lie in Arizona

The state Republican party is undaunted by electoral defeats for those claiming voting is rigged - and election officials are bearing the brunt of their fury

On a glorious spring day in Phoenix, in an atrium beneath the majestic cupola of the old state capitol, the secretary of state, Adrian Fontes, is celebrating Arizona's 112th birthday.

He solemnly recites President William Howard Taft's proclamation welcoming Arizona as the 48th state of the union. Speeches fete the state's breathtaking landscapes, from the mighty Grand Canyon to the sprawling deserts of Yuma and lush green forests of Coconino, then a cake iced with the state seal is cut into 112 pieces and devoured in the sun-dappled Rose Garden.