PHOENIX — Arizona voters started heading to the polls Wednesday.
More than 200 cast ballots are in Maricopa County as the early voting period got underway in Arizona.
The Moose Lodge in South Phoenix is one of 12 early voting sites open in Maricopa County.
The number will grow to 223 sites by election day.
Jim Hebert was one of those voters who came to the Lodge.
“Prepare yourself,” Hebert said.
“Go through that book, the ballot guide. Research it if you need to.” Hebert is right about being prepared for this ballot, It is one of the longest ever in Maricopa County.
Voters in some precincts will be deciding up to 80 contests.
"We've provided more voting booths to hopefully help with that flow and get voters thru. But making that plan, being prepared ahead of time knowing what location you want to go and knowing what is on your ballot really does help,” said Megan Gilbertson of the Maricopa County Elections Department.
There are 2.4 million voters in Maricopa County. On Wednesday, 1.9 million of those voters were mailed their early ballots.
Turnout for the midterm elections traditionally is not as high as a presidential election.
This year figures to be an exception with high contested statewide races for the U.S. Senate, Governor, Secretary of State and Attorney General leading the way. “We’re expecting a lot of voters. A lot of interest. We want to make sure voters have all the information they need in order to participate,” Gilbertson said.
The Maricopa County Elections Department is offering an online voter dashboard, where voters can get sample ballots, find out voting locations and track their ballots.
