PHOENIX — Maricopa County election officials say they’re ready for Election Day.
Frank McWilliams, the county’s director of emergency management and security services, said Monday the county takes protecting voters, election workers and ballots seriously.
"To anyone who may have a desire to disrupt our democratic process by cowardly actions or intimidation, your actions could be a crime, and every law enforcement personnel in the Valley will collaborate to ensure that you're held accountable,” he said. “We're not going to be rattled, and our operations will continue on Election Day as planned.”
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The U.S. Department of Justice is sending 1,000 federal monitors to observe elections around the nation, including Maricopa County. County officials say such monitoring is routine.
“Arizona laws are very clear about what is allowed at a voting location,” said Jennifer Liewer, Maricopa County Elections Department spokesperson. “We want voters to know that they can come out and vote tomorrow, but we are prepared should there be any type of a situation that needs to be addressed.”
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office recently discovered a DOJ monitor during July’s primary pleaded guilty 10 years ago to an election-related crime.
“We’ve asked the DOJ not to send felons or anyone who have committed elections-related crimes, and they've told us that that's not something that will happen in the future,” Assistant Maricopa County Manager Zach Schira said.
Some voters have said they’re worried about federal immigration officers patrolling voting locations.
“We'll be able to respond appropriately if there's an issue, but we will not have uniformed, armed personnel at polling sites – visible – that may disenfranchise some voters,” McWilliams said.
The county is prepared to handle any situation that might come up, county officials stressed, saying voters should be confident in the election process.
“The most important thing is to have a plan. Know where it is that you're going to vote,” Liewer said.
Voters registered in Maricopa County can visit any of the just over 250 vote centers to cast a ballot. The voting locations are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
You can check wait times at Locations.Maricopa.Vote.
“If one voting location has a wait, there is more than likely one that is just a couple miles away where they can go and walk right in,” said Liewer, who added that vote centers typically see the highest numbers of voters right after the workday ends.
People voting in person should bring an acceptable form of identification. You can find more information about what ID is accepted at GetID.Maricopa.Vote.
Liewer said voters should also research their ballot before they arrive.
"Take some time,” she said. “There's a lot of races: an average of 80 races for Maricopa County residents.”
Voters with mail ballots can drop them off at a drop box or vote center without needing to show identification.
However, voters who go to a vote center can choose to show ID and tabulate their ballot, just like an in-person voter. Because their identity has already been verified, the ballots of voters who opt for this will not need to undergo the signature-verification process, meaning their ballots will be counted faster.
