Maricopa County Gear Up: Officials Confidently Ready for July 30 Primary Election

Maricopa County anticipates around 30% voter turnout for the primary election on July 30, with approximately 10% expected to vote at polling sites on Election Day.

Voting has been underway since June 15 for overseas and military voters, while local early voting commenced on July 3. County officials addressed the media and public on Tuesday to outline what to expect as votes are counted and on Election Day itself.

“It’s very important that everybody understands that me and my colleagues on the board are committed to safe, secure, and transparent elections,” said Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates at the press conference. This event coincided with the final day for mailing early ballots; voters with remaining early ballots are advised to use drop boxes by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Safety concerns dominated the discussion, given the backdrop of increased political violence, including a recent attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life. Gates emphasized cooperation with local and federal law enforcement to ensure the safety of voters and election workers, although he did not confirm any specific threats.

Voters are urged to rely on official sources for election information. Maricopa County will operate 223 vote centers on Election Day, accessible to any registered voter in the state. Identification, such as a government-issued ID, is required.

Voters can find polling locations and wait times at Locations.Maricopa.Vote. Turnout estimates range from 718,000 to 894,000 voters. As of the previous Monday, over 211,000 early ballots had been processed.

Initial election results will start at 8 p.m. on July 30, beginning with early ballots submitted before Election Day. Vote centers will use bipartisan teams for on-site tabulation, ensuring secure transfer to central tabulation.

More details on vote counting and election results are available at CountingBallots.Maricopa.Vote. Assistant County Manager Zach Schira noted a $15 million investment for the election cycle to ensure preparedness, stressing that while they are well-prepared, “there is still no such thing as a perfect election.”

Past issues, such as printer failures in 2022, have been addressed—new, rigorously tested printers are in place to prevent similar problems. Additionally, a recent global IT system outage was managed without turning away voters, although some early voting sites experienced issues.

Maricopa County officials plan to respond to inquiries from the Republican National Committee and the Arizona Republican Party regarding the outage’s impact on voters. Scott Jarrett, Maricopa County’s director of elections, affirmed the replacement and thorough testing of problematic printers, underscoring the county’s commitment to a smooth electoral process.