Questions about voting in Arizona and how elections work

Election Day is approaching: ballots are being mailed, early voting locations are open, campaigns are knocking on doors and filling TV commercial breaks. Arizona is at the center of a series of high-level visits seeking to influence voters who could decide the presidential election.

It’s busy, so it’s no big deal if you missed a Reddit Ask Me Anything featuring six journalists from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com last week. The team of reporters answered questions about the high-stakes elections looming ahead.

White House and U.S. Senate races lead a long vote this year, but more than a dozen proposals could reshape the state’s elections, border control and abortion policy . The question of how to ensure election security in a state that played a central role in efforts to overturn the will of voters after the 2020 race is not on the ballot, but at the top of the list.

Here are five of the main questions and answers from the Reddit session, which took place on October 8 on the r/Arizona subreddit.

You can read the full discussion on Reddit here.

The reporters who answered questions were Sasha Hupka, who covers county government and election administration; Mary Jo Pitzl, who covers the Legislature and secretary of state; Stephanie Murray, who covers the presidential race; Stephanie Innes, who covers health care and where it intersects with political platform issues; Stacey Barchenger, state political reporter; and Ronald J. Hansen, a national political reporter who covers the race for Arizona’s next U.S. senator.

“Let’s say there is a repeat situation from 2020 and a county, like Cochise, refuses to certify its election results. With a trial ensuing, if a sympathetic judge decides not to hear the case in time before the statewide deadline to certify the results, Would Arizona be unable to submit its electors to Congress? What would this mean for all races and ballot measures?

If a county refused to certify, it would likely be immediately sued by the Secretary of State’s office. This would be an expedited case, so there would need to be some sort of resolution before the deadline.

It would be unprecedented for a county to fail to certify in time for the Electoral College to convene. Lawsuits filed against two Cochise County supervisors who delayed their certification in 2022 could serve as a significant deterrent to county supervisors who would like to block this part of the election process.

“As a volunteer election worker, I worry about my safety. I have friends who volunteered in 2020 who were followed to their cars, verbally harassed and assaulted. …Politicians or Have any procedures changed for this election? Or should I be afraid for my safety?

In 2022, 66 politically charged disruptions and conflicts between poll workers, election observers and voters were reported to Maricopa County authorities. It’s a problem officials are working to resolve.

There are several new security measures at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center that did not exist in 2020. There is fencing around the perimeter of the building and a much stronger law enforcement presence an once election night arrived.

At polling places, law enforcement officers legally cannot be on site unless they are voting or responding to an emergency. This is to ensure that voters are not intimidated. The county has increased its de-escalation training for poll workers to help them respond to voter skepticism or frustration.

There is a hotline that poll workers can call to report problems and get advice from county officials. And, while law enforcement can’t hang out in a voting center parking lot, state law enforcement typically has all hands on deck on Election Day in order to be ready to respond to an emergency if necessary.

“Are there preventative measures to prevent people from seeking to intimidate voters at polling stations?

This affects the right to freedom of expression. No one can cross the 75-foot line at polling places unless they vote. Last month, a court struck down provisions of the state’s election manual, ruling its guidelines were too broad and could apply to anyone, anywhere in the state. And two years ago, a federal judge allowed drop box observers to continue their vigils, but asked them to keep their distance.

This legal case was eventually settled. So there isn’t really any legal precedent to stop someone from trying to monitor drop boxes again.

Officials say actions such as carrying a gun outside the entrance to a polling place can constitute voter intimidation.

You can view the state’s official voter intimidation law here, as well as a guide to how polls are run here.

“The presidential race Really as close as the polls indicate? I find it hard to believe that more people in Arizona will vote for Trump to be the next president. »

This is shaping up to be another close race in Arizona, based on all the data we have. Polls show a deadlock between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and statewide elections over the past four years have also been very close. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs beat Republican Kari Lake by less than a percentage point in 2022 and Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes won by just 280 votes.

One thing to watch: The GOP actually has a bigger voter registration advantage in Arizona than when Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020, which could give Trump a small advantage.

Another indicator that can tell you how close campaigns think the race is: the time candidates spend here. The start of early voting kicked off a frenetic week of high-level visits, including from both presidential candidates.

“How much longer before all the…political signs in the streets come down?”

Answer: State law says candidates and campaigns have until 15 days after the election to remove their signs.

The law was written to protect candidates and does not provide for any sanctions for those who fail to meet this deadline. A state Supreme Court case in Gilbert a few years ago complicated city officials’ ability to remove signs that are no longer protected by state law.

Impacts: Here’s How Voter Registration Trends Could Influence Arizona’s 2024 Elections

“As a volunteer election worker, I worry about my safety. I have friends who volunteered in 2020 who were followed to their cars, verbally harassed and assaulted. …Politicians or Have any procedures changed for this election? Or should I be afraid for my safety?

“Are there preventative measures to prevent people from seeking to intimidate voters at polling stations?

“The presidential race Really as close as the polls indicate? I find it hard to believe that more people in Arizona will vote for Trump to be the next president. »

“How much longer before all the…political signs in the streets come down?”

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