Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes speaks at the State Capitol Executive Tower on March 19, 2024. (Photo by Mariah Temprendola/Cronkite News)
Dennis Johnson, a retired teacher from Pennsylvania, votes in his first Arizona election on March 19, 2024 at Madison Church in Phoenix. (Photo by Mariah Templendora/Cronkite News)
Barton Barr Central Library will serve as a voting location for the March 19, 2024 Arizona presidential election. (Photo by Mariah Templendora/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes on Tuesday encouraged voters to participate in the state's 2024 presidential election, even though each party's candidates are nearly decided.
Voting began at 6 a.m. for Arizonans to vote on who they want as their respective party's presidential nominee. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are the presumptive Democratic and Republican candidates, respectively, but several candidates from each party are still on the ballot.
Voting ends at 7 p.m. Tuesday with the first results expected to be announced around 8 p.m., but Fontes said potential signature verification issues may cause Arizona's final official The results are unlikely to be announced until next week. Resolved for mail-in ballots to be mailed on Tuesday.
“Say someone has a broken arm, or maybe they're suffering from something like Parkinson's disease. Before we open the envelope and count the ballots, we cure the signature so that we know that the voter actually voted on that ballot. We need to check,” Fontes said. he said at a press conference at the Capitol.
“Amendment” is the process by which states allow voters to correct errors or discrepancies on their mail-in ballots.
Democratic Party chair stump supporting Biden at Barton Bar
Arizona Democratic Party Chair Yolanda Bejarano speaks in support of Joe Biden at Barton Barr Central Library in Phoenix on March 19, 2024. She said Biden has done a lot for Arizona, especially Latinos in Arizona, including lowering the cost of prescription drugs. (Photo by Mariah Templendora/Cronkite News)
As the sun began to rise, Barton Barr Central Library in downtown Phoenix was ready to welcome Arizona voters, but as of 6:30 a.m., there was no one in line.
Arizona Democratic Party Chair Yolanda Bejarano also attended and spoke about her confidence in Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee and the importance of the Latino vote in Arizona.
“For a presidential election, turnout is not going to be as high as it was in the November election, and that's the way it is. But we want people to get out and make your voice heard. We want to do well for President Biden, he is our candidate and he will be our candidate,” Bejarano said.
Republican Kari Lake votes in GCU.
U.S. Senate Republican candidate Kari Lake (left) votes with her husband Jeff Halperin at Grand Canyon University on March 19, 2024. (Photo by Mariah Templendora/Cronkite News)
Kari Lake, a Republican candidate for the 2024 Arizona Senate race, arrived at Grand Canyon University at 10 a.m. to vote for the presidential nomination. Lake is a longtime Trump supporter.
“Go out and vote,” Lake said. “I know President Trump is the candidate, but please go vote. Show your support for him. He was a great fighter for this country. He gave so much to all Americans. We need to get him back in the White House.”
Democratic voter Roy Rodriguez left his GCU polling place after Lake's comments. Rodriguez expressed gratitude for living in the United States and being able to make his voice heard for Biden.
“I hope they (Arizonas) come out here and vote because a lot of people died for their country, they died for the Star-Spangled Banner,” Rodriguez said. . “It's so important and I'm glad they have the right to come out here and vote. Everyone has that right, whether you're a Democrat or a Republican or an independent. .”
Madison Church in Phoenix welcomes voters
Former administrative assistant Vicki Alexander will vote in Arizona's presidential election on March 19, 2024. She feels this country is going in a bad direction, and she says that's why it's important for her to vote. (Photo by Mariah Templendora/Cronkite News)
At Madison Church in Phoenix, Dennis Johnson walked out saying, “I voted!” Sticker on her green jacket.
“This is the first time we've voted in Arizona. We're new to this state,” Johnson said of her and her husband. “We're from Pennsylvania, so we keep a very open mind. … It's definitely more of a two-sided camp here than in Philadelphia, which I'm used to, but that's great. Everyone has their own You are entitled to your opinion and we are very happy to express our beliefs here as well.”
Vicki Alexander also voted at the Madison church. Alexander was concerned about the lack of voters and how it would affect the November election.
“Our country is going in a bad direction. I'm very concerned. I'm worried about the future of our country because what we're doing here affects the whole world. To make things better. There's nothing else I can do except pray,” Alexander said.
