With two hours before polls close in Arizona’s primary election, officials with the Secretary of State’s office say turnout appears high and they’ve heard of no major problems accessing the polls.
Secretary of State spokeswoman Sophia Solis says they expect record turnout for a primary by the time polls close across the state at 7 p.m.
Most people vote by mail in Arizona and Maricopa County Elections Department spokeswoman Megan Gilbertson says more than 700,000 mail-in or early voting location ballots have already been tallied in the state’s largest county. Nearly 40,000 people have gone to the Phoenix-area polls so far Tuesday to vote in-person.
The first results will be relases just after 8 p.m.
Top races include the Republican U.S. Senate primary race between Sen. Martha McSally and challenger Daniel McCarthy. Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut and the husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, faces only a write-in opponent for the Democratic nomination.
Democratic and Republican candidates for nine U.S. House districts and all 60 state House and Senate seats are also being decided.
Republican voter Carol Santiago of Phoenix said she voted in person partly because she agrees with concerns President Donald Trump has raised about ballot security. Democrat Akil Zakariya voted in person only because he didn’t request a mail balot in time. He called Trump’s worries “propaganda.”
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7 a.m.
Polling places have opened across Arizona for the state’s primary election and are scheduled to remain open until 7 p.m.
Tuesday’s election features few big-ticket races and most Arizona voters who plan to cast a ballot have already done so.
Election officials across the state encouraged voters to request a mail ballot, and some areas expanded options for early voting to reduce crowds on Election Day.
But those showing up to vote in person will find it looks different than elections of the past as the tradition of casting a ballot adjusts to the coronavirus pandemic.
Maricopa County election officials dropped assigned polling places in metro Phoenix and instead set up 99 vote centers that accommodate all voters in the county, regardless of where they live.
The county shifted many sites from smaller libraries, community centers and churches to larger venues like convention centers, malls and retail facilities.
In Tucson, Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez advised people to look up their poll location on the recorder’s website.
