PHOENIX — Arizona's primary election is Tuesday and multiple races on both sides of the aisle are expected to be close races. Here's what you need to know heading to the polls.
Voting on Tuesday:
At a voting center:
Polls open at 6 a.m. across the state and close at 7 p.m.
A little over 1.5 million Arizonans are expected to cast a ballot in the July 30 primary election. By the time Tuesday rolls around, however, about 80% of these ballots will have already been received by election officials via Arizona’s robust and popular early voting process. For those wishing to vote in person on election day, volume should be generally light except for the typical early morning and late evening rush. The Vote Center model means voters can go to any polling location in their county of residence and cast a ballot.
Vote center locations can be found by clicking here.
Maricopa County residents can click here to find not only vote center locations but wait time estimates as well.
Dropping off your Early Ballot:
If you have an early ballot, but for whatever reason forgot to mail it in, you can still vote!
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Early ballots that are signed and sealed in their envelope can be dropped off at any voting location in your county. Don't forget to sign your envelope. If you forget to sign, there is a seven-day period where you can prove your identity to the county recorder and your vote will still be counted. After that period ends though, any unsigned packets will remain unsealed.
One thing to remember about this. Early ballots dropped off at voting locations must go through the same verification process as early ballots sent in through the mail. While this does not impact you directly, it does mean results for those ballots will not be available for several days after the election.
For more on HOW to vote, click here.
Races to watch
As is typical in Arizona, most of the races to pay attention to in the primary are on the Republican side of the aisle. Democrats do have two interesting congressional contests; one to replace Ruben Gallego and another to challenge Republican David Schweikert in the state’s district most likely to be a toss-up come November.
Republicans
U.S. Senate – Former news anchor and populist firebrand Kari Lake is being challenged by Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb for the chance to take on Democrat Ruben Gallego in November. While Lake is the odds-on favorite, Lamb’s support reaches into both the establishment and MAGA wings of the party. This race could end up being closer than most pundits expect.
Congressional District 8 – Former allies Blake Masters and Abraham Hamadeh face off in what has become the ugliest campaign in the Valley. Both Masters and Hamadeh have led in the few publicly released polls available. They are joined by Arizona House speaker Ben Toma, who has been steadily rising in the polling. Toma is endorsed by the sitting congresswoman in the district, Debbie Lesko, as well as former Governor Jan Brewer. Trent Franks, a former congressman for the West Valley, is also attempting to launch a political comeback. Whoever wins in this primary is the heavy favorite to win in November.
Maricopa County Recorder – Maricopa County has been an epicenter for election denialism since the 2020 election. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the race for County Recorder, the office that oversees early voting. Incumbent Stephen Richer, who previously beat now Secretary of State Adrian Fontes for the job in 2020, has had to spend nearly his entire tenure defending Maricopa County’s elections from those who claim they are fraudulent. This has put him in the crosshairs of the populist wing of the Republican party. He is being challenged by Representative Justin Heap and Don Hiatt, an IT specialist in the Valley.
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors - Republican members of the county’s board of supervisors are also being challenged from the populist wing of the party. In the East Valley, incumbent Jack Sellers is being challenged by Chandler Councilman Mark Stewart. In the Northeast Valley, incumbent Tomas Galving looks to fend off former Scottsdale legislator Michelle Ugenti-Rita.
Maricopa County Attorney - A re-match of 2022 is occurring in the county attorney contest. Gina Godbehere is mounting a challenge against incumbent Rachel Mitchell. In 2022 Mitchell bested Godbehere by 15 points.
Democrats
Congressional District 3 – This downtown Phoenix district is being vacated by Ruben Gallego in his US Senate run. Two Democrats are looking to take his place; Phoenix City Councilwoman Yassamin Ansari and State Senator Raquel Teran. Polling has shown both candidates leading in this race so the winner is anyone’s guess. Whichever woman wins the primary is expected to win the November general in this solidly Democratic district.
Congressional District 1 – This district anchored in Scottsdale is considered the most vulnerable to a Democratic takeover. Incumbent David Schweikert carried the district by less than a point in 2022. Six Democrats are locked in a bruising primary to find out who will be the one to try and flip the district to Democrats. Conor O’Callaghan, Andrei Cherny, Marlene Galan-Woods, Andrew Horne, Kurt Kroemer, and Amish Shah are all looking to come out on top. Once the dust settles, this will be the congressional race to watch in November.
