Live Election Coverage: Heavy turnout slows voting
Heavy turnout slows voting
p.m.: Heavy turnout, a long ballot and some new procedures were combining to produce long lines at some Pima County polling places.
In 2020, roughly 50,000 people voted in-person on Election Day. As of about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, that number had been surpassed, according to Mark Evans, Pima County communication director.
A voter at Dove of Peace Church, 665 W. Roller Coaster Road, said the lines were "the longest I've ever seen." Longtime Tucsonan (and retired Arizona Daily Star reporter) Joe Burchell said that while turnout may be a factor, a big part of the wait seemed to be because of the county's new consolidated polling place system. "Once you get inside, the door check-in and ballot printing process takes forever," he said.
But Evans said no major problems were being encountered — just lots of people wanting to vote.
With regards to Dove of the Peace Church, he said, "that particular vote center has only had 460 "check-ins" as of about 4:15 p.m. Long lines could have happened if they all showed up at the same time, he said, but added that there has been much higher turnout for in-person voting at other locations. For example, Evans said, Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Tucson had over 1,000 check-ins by the same time, while the Marana Municipal Complex is nearing that figure.
Evans said County voting locations have back-up printers on-hand if any technical issues arise or if a toner/ink cartridge needs to be replaced. The county also has mobile "troubleshooting teams," Evans said, that go out to voting centers if issues arise.
He added that voting centers saw a surge in the morning, around lunch and again in the afternoon.
"So far it's gone very smoothly," Evans said. "We have had any major issues to speak of."
Hi, Arizona Daily Star readers! Welcome to our live local election blog. Starting early tomorrow, as live in-person voting continues throughout the day, and as polls close and results come in, this is your spot to keep up with minute-by-minute developments. We'll make sure you're updated with the latest news at a glance, and we'll link to the Star's stories with both as-it-happens news and in-depth coverage. We'll have photos and videos too as Southern Arizonans cast their ballots, the counting begins and politicians react to the results.
Keep refreshing this site and we'll make sure you have the news as we get it. Let's do this thing!
If you haven't voted yet, here's a look at the basic information you'll need to make your vote count.
Meanwhile, if you just can't wait to read every bit of election info, here are a few links to tide you over until Election Day:
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