This week, Arizona 360 presented an hour-long special exploring issues crucial to this year’s general election. Our coverage kicked off with a discussion with Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who anticipates the election will see record-setting turnout. She discussed how her office is working with county recorders to ensure every vote gets counted.
Arizona’s emergence as a battleground state is supported by polls that show tight races for the White House and U.S. Senate. One firm that has tracked those races from the beginning is Phoenix-based OH Predictive Insights. Pollster Mike Noble discussed the methods used to gauge voters’ preferences in 2020.
From the top of the ticket and down the ballot, we got analysis on the odds a blue wave could wash over Arizona’s political landscape from KJZZ’s Steve Goldstein and The Yellow Sheet’s Hank Stephenson.
The majority of votes tallied in this election will come from Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous. History shows candidates for national races will need to carry Maricopa to win. The race for every vote is continuing up until Election Day. Tony Paniagua spoke to Democratic and Republican party leaders and an official at the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office about their efforts to get out the vote.
Much of October saw voters cast early ballots. In Pima County, we visited early voting sites in downtown Tucson and the University of Arizona to hear firsthand about why they believe their vote matters.
Arizonans have two statewide propositions to consider. Proposition 207 would legalize recreational marijuana and Proposition 208 would impose a tax on high earners to fund education. Arizona Public Media’s Alisa Reznick and Jake Steinberg have reported on the measures and joined Lorraine Rivera to explain how each would affect Arizonans, as well as some of the arguments made for and against them.
All five seats on the Pima County Board of Supervisors appear on the ballot. Only two supervisors are running for reelection, guaranteeing the board will comprise at least three newcomers to the position. We spoke to departing supervisors Betty Villegas and Ramón Valadez about their time in office and what advice they have for first-term supervisors.
Aside from supervisors, Pima County has a number of other key posts on the ballot. That includes sheriff, treasurer and county recorder to name a few. We discussed the attention on local races with the Arizona Daily Star’s Sarah Garrecht Gassen and the Green Valley News/Sahuarita Sun’s Dan Shearer.
In many casual conversations about politics in 2020, the term “polarized” gets used often. Some think the pandemic might exacerbate partisan divides in our community, but a study from University of Arizona political scientist Samara Klar reveals an unexpected silver lining. Arizona Illustrated’s Bryan Nelson presents her findings in Politics as Unusual.
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