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Election Day is closing in: Ballots are in the mail, early voting locations are open, campaigns are knocking on doors and taking over television commercial breaks. Arizona is front and center for a flurry of high-profile visits seeking to sway voters who could decide the presidential election.
It’s busy, and so it’s OK if you missed a Reddit Ask Me Anything featuring six reporters at The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com last week. The team of reporters took questions about the high-stakes election just ahead.
Races for the White House and U.S. Senate top a long ballot this year, but more than a dozen propositions could reshape elections, border enforcement and abortion policy in the state. Not on the ballot, but top of mind, is how to keep elections safe and secure in a state that was central to efforts to subvert the will of voters after the 2020 race.
Here are five of the top questions and answers from the Reddit session, held Oct. 8 over at the r/Arizona subreddit.
You can read the full discussion on Reddit here.
Sign-up for Your Vote: Text with the USA TODAY elections team.
Reporters who fielded 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 is covering the presidential race; Stephanie Innes, who covers health care and where it merges with political platform issues; Stacey Barchenger, a state politics reporter; and Ronald J. Hansen, a national politics reporter covering the race to be Arizona’s next U.S. senator.
If a county refused to certify, it would likely be immediately sued by the Secretary of State’s Office. It would be an expedited case, so there should be some sort of resolution before the deadline.
It would be unprecedented for a county not to certify in time for the convening of the Electoral College. The prosecution of two Cochise County supervisors who delayed certification in 2022 could be a strong deterrent for county supervisors who might wish to roadblock this part of the election process.
In 2022, there were 66 politically charged disruptions and conflicts between poll workers, election observers and voters reported to officials in Maricopa County. It’s a problem officials are working to address.
There are several new security measures at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center that didn’t exist in 2020. There is fencing around the perimeter of the building and a much stronger law enforcement presence once election night hits.
At the polls, law enforcement officers legally can’t be on site unless they are voting or responding to an emergency. That’s designed to ensure voters aren’t intimidated. The county has bolstered its de-escalation training for poll workers to help them respond to skepticism or frustration from voters.
There is a hotline that poll workers can call to report issues and get guidance from county officials. And, while law enforcement can’t hang out in the parking lot of a vote center, law enforcement agencies around the state typically have all hands on deck on Election Day so that they are prepared to respond to an emergency if needed.
This gets into free speech rights. No one can go past the 75-foot line at polling locations unless they are voting. Last month, a court struck down provisions of the state’s election manual, finding its guidance was overly 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 required them to keep a distance.
That court case ended up getting settled. So, there’s not really an existing legal precedent to stop someone from trying to monitor the drop boxes again.
Officials say actions like carrying a gun outside the entrance to a polling site can constitute voter intimidation.
You can see the official state law on voter intimidation here, and a guide to polling place conduct here.
It’s shaping up to be another tight race in Arizona, based on all the data we have. The polls show a dead heat between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and statewide elections here for the past four years have been really close, too. 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 keep an eye on: The GOP actually has a larger voter registration advantage in Arizona than it did when Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020, so that could give Trump a bit of an edge.
Another indicator that can tell you how close the campaigns think the race is: how much time candidates spend here. The start of early voting kicked off a frenzied week of high-profile visits, including from both presidential candidates.
Answer: State law says candidates and campaigns have until 15 days post-election to take down their signs.
The law was written to protect the candidates and prescribes no penalties for those who don’t adhere to that deadline. A state Supreme Court case out of Gilbert years ago complicated municipal officials’ abilities to take down signs that are no longer protected by state law.
Impacts:Here’s how voter registration trends could sway the 2024 election in Arizona