PHOENIX — Early balloting in Arizona begins Oct. 11 and nearly 80 percent of registered voters who are participating in the general election are expected to be casting their votes early.

“Campaigns are going to be aggressive, not just on the weekend before Election Day, but throughout that four- week period,” said Tim Sifert, spokesman with the Arizona Republican Party. He believes that the election will be won or lost during that time frame.

Republican candidates are sharing their optimism throughout the state, hosting events such as neighborhood rallies, barbeques and parades.

“We’re really enjoying the cycle right now, we’ve got a lot of strong candidates,” said Sifert. “We think that the Republican Party is going to do very, very well in Arizona.”

The Democrats are also just as focused on early balloting.

“That’s really were elections are going it seems like,” said Frank Camacho, spokesman for the Arizona Democratic Party. “In the past 10 to 15 years, the number of people who vote early and by mail, has just skyrocketed.”

Meanwhile, Democrats are making sure their infrastructure is ready to go for the final push.

“That it is functioning smoothly, that we target areas we need to target, that we get out there and we educate voters,” said Camacho.

---

To request an early ballot, go to recorder.maricopa.gov.