Live Election Coverage in Tucson: 'I've always wanted to vote'

'I've always wanted to vote'

Winter Stathis waited 2 1⁄2 hours to vote Tuesday afternoon, but the experience left her beaming.

The UA undergrad emerged from the polls as the sun set and well over 200 people were still waiting in line at First United Methodist Church.

"I've always wanted to vote," the 21-year-old organismal biology major said. "It's even better to see my fellow students participating. It's beautiful."

While the line was long, the scene was celebratory. Harris campaign volunteers handed out pizza, water, and even Sonoran hot dogs while supplies lasted.

DJs James Anderson and Eloisa Noperi spun tunes as part of the DJs at the Polls team that was entertaining queued-up voters around the city.

Scott Sutherland, 19, Julian Lyngaas, 21, and Allison French had waited an hour and still had a ways to go, but were excited to vote for the first time.

"It's pretty dope," Sutherland said, a big smile on his face.

— Tim Steller

Meanwhile, a growing crowd at the Pima County Republican Party's election night party at the Viscount Suite Hotel on Broadway just east of Swan Road cheered as Fox News announced Donald Trump as the projected winner in Florida.

One woman in attendance wore a dress over her clothes made from a black garbage bag decorated with Trump bumper stickers, an apparent reference to President Joe Biden's recent comment about some Trump supporters.— Henry Brean

'A well-oiled machine'

Outside the Oro Valley Library, Pima County's largest polling site, dozens of impassioned volunteers from both the Democratic and Republican parties preached their causes until the final seconds before voters made their way inside.

Most stayed the allotted 75 feet from the door. Others needed to be reminded.

Some wrote bible verses on their cars in paint. Some passed out pamphlets and others got people to stop and chat, if they were lucky.

"Would you like a list of Democratic candidates to vote for?" a woman next to a Harris sign asked a man passing by.

"No. The internet is available. Thanks," he said, swiftly walking past the hoopla surrounding him.

Inside the library, Ralph, the Inspector at site 107, had things working like a well-oiled machine. Of his 18 election judges working Tuesday, 13 have spent at least the last four elections at the Oro Valley Library with Ralph. As a result, they know how to get voters in, out, and on their way. In fact, they could probably use a larger room.

Voters were consistently in and out since 6 a.m., Ralph said. By around noon, more than 800 people had come in and out of that voting area receiving a sticker, and a voice in a tight election.

Others came to drop off early voting ballots, which Ralph said they had two bins full of.

There were young people, and older folks, and dads with babies on their hip. Some people drove, some people biked, while others took the bus to their local polling places to exercise their rights.

At the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Oro Valley, things have been "super chill," one volunteer said when asked about any problems at the polls. She said the lines have been "fairly consistent" and they are seeing the same clientele they usually see voting during elections.

"We did have a first-time voter!" another volunteer chimed in, wearing pride on her face.

Like the Oro Valley Library, volunteers stood just outside their 75-foot boundary to pass out voting paraphernalia to those headed inside.

"But the marshal keeps having to keep them behind that barrier," a volunteer said.

One woman who voted at Our Lady of Fatima Church was treated with donuts and coffee alongside other voters who arrived around 8 a.m.

But there's no relaxing for Election Day judges and Inspectors like Ralph who will be putting in some major hours election night.

"We start the day at 5 a.m. and we leave....well, whenever we get done."

— Erika Wurst

First-time voter applauded at Oro Valley library

Around 30 people waited in line to cast their ballots at the Oro Valley Public Library at 4:15 p.m. They were greeted at the poling location by several people set up just outside the 75-foot electioneering limit to protest against Proposition 139 with a banner featuring graphic photos of aborted fetuses.

University of Arizona freshman Campbell Phillips cast her first-ever ballot at the library. The 18-year-old biomechanical engineering student said she was most excited to vote in favor of Proposition 139.

After Phillips cast her ballot, an election worker loudly announced "first-time voter," drawing cheers and applause from others at the polling station.

"That was fun," Phillips said.

"That was really sweet," said her mom, Stephanie Phillips, who accompanied her to the polls.

The mother and daughter said they didn't compare notes about how they voted, and they weren't really planning to. They were more interested in talking about what they were going to eat during their post-voting dinner at Olive Garden.

To ease the flow of traffic to the library at La Cañada Drive and Naranja Drive, the Town of Oro Valley paused its road construction project on La Cañada for the day, leaving all four travel lanes open for Election Day voters.

— Henry Brean

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 haven't had any major issues to speak of."

— Charles Borla

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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