PHOENIX — Arizona's Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said Monday that the state's Presidential Preference Election, otherwise known as our state's primary, would continue as planned on Tuesday, March 17.
After consulting with election and health officials, Hobbs said all agreed that "the election should move forward tomorrow (Tuesday)." The reasoning, "We do not have a guarantee that there will be a safer time to have an election in the future," she told reporters during an afternoon press conference.
Here is what you need to know about Tuesday's Presidential Preference Election.
Only Democrats that were registered as Democrats prior to Feb. 18, 2020 are allowed to vote in Tuesday's Presidential Preference Election.
HOW TO VOTE IN MARICOPA COUNTY
Because of difficulty with getting enough cleaning supplies and poll workers, Maricopa County was forced to close 80 polling places. There will now be 151 locations across the Valley and voters can cast their ballot at any of them, no matter where they live.
Visit locations.maricopa.vote to find the closest polling location to you.
County election officials, with technical guidance from the Arizona Department of Health, will be implementing "social distancing" measures at every point in the process, from standing in line to checking in at the counter. Officials have also promised to sanitize the equipment at regular intervals.
If you are an early vote and have a ballot at home, the deadline to put it in the mail has passed. However, county officials recommend people fill it out at home and drop it off at any of the vote centers (view polling locations in the link above).
There will also be a drop box located at the Maricopa County Elections Department Warehouse in Phoenix, 510 S. Third Avenue.
HOW TO VOTE IN OTHER AREAS ACROSS THE STATE
If you live outside the valley, there have been no reported polling place closures as of yet so the information that came in your election material is still correct. Rules vary from county to county as to whether you can vote at one location or any, so go to your county election departments website to find out the rules.
Click here to find polling locations your county.
If you are an early voter, the same rules apply statewide. You can drop off the ballot at any location in your county.
