Live blog: Arizonans cast their votes in primaries, setting the stage for general election
Jul 30, 2024, 9:00 PM | Updated: Jul 31, 2024, 12:01 am
PHOENIX — Republicans and Democrats gunning for various seats of leadership are competing to become the primary candidates. It’s up to Arizona voters to decide which candidates are winning round one of this year’s election season.
Voters who cast their ballots in Arizona’s primary election will narrow down the crowd of candidates for various seats of power, from the U.S. Senate to the county recorder.
This live blog will provide up-to-date news about how Arizona’s primary election is progressing, from results to official statements and more.
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8:44
The Associated Press announces Kari Lake as the winner of the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in the Arizona primary election.
Lake, the former local television anchor, defeated Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, setting up a showdown with Democrat Ruben Gallego in the general election.
7:00
Polls officially close.
5:50
ABC 15 Data and Political Analyst Garrett Archer reported an election day turnout of 65,475 total voters including minor parties and non-partisan.
50,158 of ballots were Republican while 14,084 were Democrat.
4:18
Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates said that over 52,000 voters in Maricopa County have checked in to a vote center to cast their ballots.
Voters have until 7 p.m. to get in line at one of Maricopa County’s 222 vote centers.
2:21
Washington Post reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez said a small amount of Arizona voters might have filled out ballots with ink that is “fading or appearing very light.”
It was reported that about 30 ballots were affected in three counties: Pima, Yavapai and Pinal.
PSA: Do not fill out your ballots with erasable pens.
The inside of cars in AZ can easily get over 140 degrees (60 c). You do not want your votes to disappear.
Election directors in AZ have been told if they see faded ink they should duplicate the ballot. h/t @yvonnewingett pic.twitter.com/MMk0Sk5781
— Jen Fifield (@JenAFifield) July 30, 2024
1:05 p.m.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes told KTAR News 92.3 FM he felt good about how Election Day was going so far.
The only glitches have been a printer with a paper jam at one vote center and a gas leak near another site, he said.
“Pretty much it’s been an eventless day except for the fact that democracy is happening as it ought to. We don’t have any major incidents anywhere in the state,” Fontes said.
12:06 p.m.
Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates said over 27,000 voters in Maricopa County checked in to a vote center to cast their ballots.
According to tracking from Phoenix-based research firm Data Orbital, more than 525,000 ballots were submitted in Arizona’s most populous county before Election Day.
10:30 a.m.
Garrett Archer, a data analyst with ABC15, said Republicans cast 14,822 ballots while Democrats cast 3,833 ballots so far in the primary elections.
.@Maricopacounty election day turnout 10:30
Party ballots cast:
Republicans: 14,822
Democrats: 3,833All including minor party & non-partisan: 19,004
— The AZ – abc15 – Data Guru (@Garrett_Archer) July 30, 2024
9:37 a.m.
A woman who didn’t want to give her name told KTAR News 92.3 FM she submitted her ballot at the Church of the Beatitudes near Glendale and Seventh avenues in Phoenix.
“I think female rights are very important. I think choosing candidates who are actually sound and comfortable with the systems we have are important,” she said. “I think that there needs to be better solutions for the border. I have faith in our economy doing okay. I think we need to tackle issues with education, especially in this state.”
9:14 a.m.
Reporter Colton Krolak with KTAR News 92.3 FM headed to the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center near Seventh Avenue and Jefferson Street.
It’s Election Day, and I’m at the heart of every election in Arizona—the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.
@KTAR923
@AZMorningNews pic.twitter.com/Z9wFQP8ezO— Colton Krolak (@ColtonKrolak) July 30, 2024
Officials at the center said nearly all the early ballots were already counted.
8 a.m.
First-time voter Andrea Barthel, who is from the Philippines, said she was excited to cast her ballot.
“I wanted to vote in the primaries cause the local elections are just as important as the presidential,” Barthel told KTAR News 92.3 FM‘s Jim Cross.
Its Primary Election Day across Arizona pic.twitter.com/6YZQPSMJDx
— Jim Cross (@Crossfire923) July 30, 2024
7:43 a.m.
A longtime voter named Jim Huntwork visited the Burton Barr Central Library in downtown Phoenix to cast his ballot.
“I’m very concerned about what I think is the attack on democracy, and my votes were all guided by that,” Huntwork told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
He said he’s glad President Joe Biden decided not to run for reelection. Despite being a longtime Republican, Huntwork supports Kamala Harris, who Biden endorsed for president.
“I think the greatest threat to this country right now is Donald Trump,” Huntwork said. “I’m going to support, literally, for the first time in my life, I’m gonna vote for a Democrat for president.”
6 a.m.
Maricopa County, the state’s most populous county, is operating over 220 vote centers on Tuesday. The centers opened at 6 a.m.
While the recorder’s office handles early voting in Maricopa County, the board of supervisors is in charge of Election Day voting.
An interactive map with vote center and drop box locations, hours of operation and wait times can be found at Locations.Maricopa.Vote.
Registered voters who cast ballots in-person on Tuesday will have to check in to ensure they haven’t already voted. They’ll also need a valid ID. Then, election workers will print a ballot specific to that voter.
The completed ballots will then be fed into on-site tabulators that are only used on Election Day.
5:44 a.m.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes spoke to KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News before the polls opened.
He said Arizona election officials have been preparing for this day since January.
“We’re going to be super super busy right around the time that the polls are closing just to make sure we’ve got the lines of communication open and we can get those results out as quickly as possible,” Fontes said.
Initial election results are scheduled to come out at 8 p.m.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jim Cross contributed to this report.
