Mail-in voting has taken center stage in Arizona's 7th Congressional District's special election, seeing a significant voter turnout, with most preferring the postal route. More than 82,000 early ballots were returned by last Friday, according to the Arizona Secretary of State's office, closely mirroring the earlier primary's heavy mail-in voting preference.
AzSos reported that a considerable 92% of voters cast their votes by mail in the CD7 primary, a trend that seems to have stayed its course in the general election. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes emphasized the bipartisan faith in the system, stating, "The bipartisan trust we're seeing now shows just how far Arizona has come since the audit-driven chaos of 2021," in a statement that reaffirmed voters' belief in the integrity of the voting process.
Mike Noble, CEO of Noble Predictive Insights, indicated a shift in public opinion, with their polling revealing that 75% of voters either support the current mail-in voting system or advocate for even easier access. In contrast, merely 18% are in favor of imposing stricter rules on the mail-in voting process. Within the Republican voter base, 68% stand for maintaining or simplifying the system, while 28% seek further restrictions. Noble added, "Mail-in voting has become normalized in Arizona."
Voter confidence is on the upswing as well, with 70% of Arizonans trusting in the fairness of the elections, a marked 12% increase from 2021. Confidence levels among Republicans and Democrats are nearly reflecting each other, at 77% and 75% respectively. Of those identifying as "Trump-first" Republicans, a substantial 70% place their trust in the electoral process.
Election offices are directing voters to avoid mailing ballots on election day, but rather to hand-deliver them to vote centers. "Voters with signature issues can use the Text2Cure tool through Sunday, September 28 at 5:00 p.m.," clarified state officials. Additionally, ballot tracking is available through the Track My Ballot portal, and voter assistance is reachable at 1-877-THE-VOTE during operating hours.
The CD7 election encompasses a diverse candidate slate, including Adelita Grijalva (Democratic Party), Daniel Francis Butierez Jr. (Republican Party), Eduardo Quintana (Green Party), Richard Grayson (No Labels Party), alongside nine certified write-in candidates. Early ballot returns were particularly notable in Pima County, with a 32.21% return rate, while overall, the ballots returned marked a 27.15% rate out of more than 300,000 sent out to voters.
As for the next steps, initial election results are expected to be posted from 8:00 p.m. tonight, with the county canvases due by October 9. The state canvass is on the calendar for October 14 at 10 a.m., giving anyone wishing to file an election contest until October 20 to do so. The state is ensuring smooth operation by footing the bill for the entire special election, as formalized by a legislative budget allocation earlier in the year.
