by Staff Reporter | Oct 6, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
It seems that Arizonans are keenly aware of their position as a major swing state for the upcoming election just one month away.
Arizonans ranked the third-highest in Google searches for voter registration following the vice presidential debate on Tuesday between Democratic running mate Governor Tim Walz and Republican running mate Senator JD Vance.
The discovery of these search ratings was made by Final Round AI, which analyzed Google Trends data for the impact the Walz-Vance debate had throughout the country.
The company’s CEO, Michael Guan, said in a press release that the vice presidential debate was less impactful on search spikes than the presidential debate last month.
“With the vice-presidential debate between Governor Walz and Senator Vance on Tuesday, we wanted to see how this affects interest in voter registration topics. We found the debate had caused the third-highest spike in searches so far, behind the spike on September 10 after the presidential debate between Vice President Harris and former President Trump. The largest spike on September 17 came in the wake of the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump,” said Guan. “We also found that Georgia looked up voter registration the most, and Atlanta was the most interested metro area in the wake of the debate.”
The data from Final Round AI doesn’t traditionally align with the company’s purpose: their company provides an AI copilot for interviewees to land their desired jobs. Guan said that they applied their technology to bring awareness to misinformation spread by AI impacting politics.
“Voters must be wary of potential misinformation in this intense period, with the advent of AI making it much easier for people to make fake news,” said Guan. “AI has advanced to such a degree that convincing audio and video recordings can be easily made. We urge voters to take care and check that their information comes from trusted, unbiased sources. If news hasn’t come through official channels yet, it is better to wait rather than risk accidentally spreading misinformation.”
As for metro locations, Tucson ranked the fourth highest and Phoenix tied for ranking the eleventh highest.
The top ten metro areas for searches concerning voter registration were, in order: Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Fairbanks, Alaska; Tucson; Columbus, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; Waco/Temple/Bryan, Texas/Lafayette, Indiana; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.
Georgia was ranked first, and Ohio was second. After Arizona, the top ten searches occurred in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Texas, Arkansas, Indiana, and Nebraska/Pennsylvania tied for ninth.
However, Arizona didn’t rank as a state or by metro areas in terms of searches for “who won the debate.”
In order, those top ten states were Minnesota, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Iowa.
The top ten metro areas who topped search engines for asking who won the debate were, in order: Duluth, Minnesota/Superior, Wisconsin; Alpena Michigan; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; Bend, Oregon; Wausau-Rhinelander, Wisconsin; Rochester, Minnesota/Mason City, Iowa/Austin, Minnesota; Juneau, Alaska; Mankato, Minnesota; La Crosse/Eau Claire Wisconsin; and Ottumwa, Iowa/Kirksville, Missouri.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Oct 4, 2024 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Are you registered to vote, and is your voter registration correct? If not, then it’s time to make a plan.
The deadline to register to vote in Arizona is Monday, October 7 by close of business day in person at your local election office, by 11:59 pm MST online, or postmarked by that day for mail-in registration.
Arizonans with a valid driver’s license or state ID may register to vote online, in person, or by mail.
In order to be eligible to vote a full ballot (not federal elections only), you must provide proof of citizenship by mail with your voter registration form by 5 pm MST on the Thursday before Election Day, which falls on Halloween (October 31) this year. Proof of citizenship includes your driver’s license or state ID, birth certificate, photo ID page of U.S. passport or passport card, U.S. certificate of naturalization or alien registration number, or Bureau of Indian Affairs or Tribal ID card.
In person locations to return your voter registration are at your county recorder’s offices.
If you need to register to vote through mail, you may print off the voter registration form online or request the registration form be mailed to you by your county recorder.
Voter registration cards may take 4-6 weeks to appear in the mail.
Absentee ballot deadlines are October 25 by 5 pm MST for requesting ballots, November 5 by 7 pm MST for returning your ballot by mail or in person. The last day to mail your ballot in is October 29.
Early voting begins October 9 — which is also the day ballots will be mailed and drop boxes for mail-in ballots will be made available — and ends November 1.
All in-person voting requires voters to show proof of identity before receiving a ballot. Voters must provide their name and place of residence to the election official and either:
- Provide one form of the following ID options: valid Arizona driver’s license, valid Arizona non-operating ID card, tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal ID, valid U.S. federal, state, or local government-issued ID;
- Provide two different forms of the following ID options: utility bill of the elector that is dated within 90 days of the date of the election (a utility bill may be for electric, gas, water, solid waste, sewer, telephone, cellular phone, or cable television); bank or credit union statement that is dated within 90 days of the date of the election; valid arizona vehicle registration; indian census card; property tax statement of the elector’s residence; tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification; arizona vehicle insurance card; recorder’s certificate; valid united states federal, state, or local government-issued identification, including a voter registration card issued by the county recorder; any mailing to the elector marked “official election material”;
- Provide a mix of the following ID options: Any valid photo identification from the first list in which the address does not reasonably match the precinct register accompanied by a non-photo identification from the second list in which the address does reasonably match the precinct register; U.S. Passport without address and one valid item from the second list; U.S. Military identification without address and one valid item from the second list.
Members of federally recognized tribes aren’t required to have an address or photo on their tribal ID in order to cast a provisional ballot.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5.
Military and overseas voters’ ballots were mailed on September 21. These uniformed and overseas voters may use their own designated portal through the secretary of state’s office to request to register to vote and/or request a mail-in ballot, as well as upload their voted ballot. These voters may also fax their completed ballots to 602-364-2087 before the Election Day deadline of 7 pm MST.
Check the Arizona Voter Information Portal if you would like to:
- Check your voter registration status;
- Subscribe or manage voter registration alerts;
- Find your polling locations;
- Sign up to be a poll worker;
- Request a ballot by mail;
- Check the status of your mail-in ballot or early ballot;
- Check the status of your provisional ballot;
- Submit a public records request;
- Submit a petition request;
- Or, respond to notice.
Ballot tracking for 13 of Arizona’s 15 counties is offered through the Ballot Trax. Maricopa and Pima counties offer their own ballot tracking and notification services through their own recorder’s website.
Others to utilize the tracking tool are California, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. Select counties in other states (Oregon, Alaska, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, New Jersey, and Maryland) also use this ballot tracking service.
Should your mail-in ballot be lost or damaged, you may request a replacement ballot by mail or in person. If through the former, you must contact your county recorder’s office no later than 11 days prior to Election Day, which would be Friday, October 25 this year. If through the latter, you may visit a voting location on or before Election Day to cast your vote in person.
Any further questions may be submitted through your county recorder’s office, or the secretary of state’s office (email elections@azsos.gov or call 1-877-THE-VOTE).
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Sep 28, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The Hobbs Administration is again under political fire for alleged conflicts of interest.
This week, Arizona State Senator T.J. Shope, the Senate President Pro Tempore, issued a statement to announce the recent conclusion of an administrative law judge that “the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCS) improperly awarded contracts for healthcare services for 26,000 elderly and physically disabled individuals enrolled in the Arizona Long Term Care System.” According to the release from Senator Shope, the “determination was based on several factors, including violations of statutes and rules by AHCCCS, prejudice, a lack of transparency, contract awards based on best interests of the agency and not the state, an arbitrary and flawed ranking system of bid proposals, as well as deceptive criteria provided by AHCCCS to health care companies on the evaluations of their bid proposals.”
Shope revealed that “while the judge recommended cancellation of the procurement and issuance of a new request for bid proposals, AHCCCS announced this month it would not do so, and instead, would delay the transition to the newly awarded health plans by one year, commencing in October of 2025.”
In a statement, Shope said, “I’m deeply disturbed by what’s transpired under the Hobbs Administration, from the Sunshine Residential pay-for-play scheme, to now this procurement scandal. The integrity of state government and its spending practices have been compromised. As chairman of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee, it’s my goal to get to the bottom of these disputes and determine whether in fact preferential treatment is being provided using the tax dollars of hardworking Arizonans, and whether our citizens who rely on these critical services are being protected.”
The Senate Republican leader added, “I will be on a fact-finding mission in the coming months and will determine the best course of action to address these cases, whether through legislation, or other legal avenues.”
Earlier this year, The Arizona Republic broke a story about the Arizona Department of Child Safety “approv[ing] what amounts to a nearly 60% increase in the rate that Sunshine Residential Homes Inc. charges to care for a child for a day.” The alleged action to approve the rate increase for the one organization was made while “DCS has denied pay increases to home operators and cut loose 16 providers during the contract renewal process.” The Republic also asserted that “no other standard group home provider was approved for any rate increase during Hobbs’ tenure.”
After the story ran in the Republic, Shope sent a letter on June 5 to both Attorney General Kris Mayes and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, asking both officials to “examine the facts surrounding the Department of Child Safety’s alleged decision to approve a nearly 60% rate increase for Sunshine Residential Homes and determine if conduct by any of the involved parties warrants a criminal or civil investigation.”
State Representative Matt Gress followed up with a letter on June 6 to Mitchell, letting her know that “the Auditor General’s Office stands ready to partner with you in getting the facts about this troubling matter,” and that the Joint Legislative Audit Committee “will allocate the resources the Auditor General needs to help restore what appears to be a major breach of trust in our government.”
That day (June 7), Mayes fired off two letters to both Mitchell and the Arizona Auditor General, Lindsey Perry, over the investigation. Mayes told County Attorney Mitchell that “it would not be appropriate or in the best interest of the state to conduct parallel investigations into the same matter,” and that “a separate process conducted by the MCAO could jeopardize the integrity of the criminal investigation that my office will now proceed with.”
Mayes similarly told Auditor General Perry that “while [the Auditor General’s] office is statutorily authorized to examine records and conduct audits at the direction of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, at this time, the assistance of [her] office is not needed by the Attorney General’s Office for our investigation.”
After the letters from Mayes, Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee sent a letter to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, requesting “that [she] investigate the allegations that have occurred in [her] jurisdiction.” Yee also delivered a letter to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, highlighting that the state’s top cop’s assertion that her office had singular control over any investigation “is not appropriate or authorized by law, as those entities have separate jurisdiction to investigate this matter.”
After receiving the letters from Senator T.J. Shope and Gress, County Attorney Mitchell informed them that her office was “contacted by the Arizona Auditor General asking that the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office serve as the prosecution office that will work with them while they conduct an investigation into this matter.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Sep 28, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A new national poll has Republican Presidential nominee Donald J. Trump leading his opponent in the State of Arizona.
Earlier this week, the New York Times / Siena Sunbelt Poll released its latest survey of a handful of swing states in the presidential contest this upcoming November, showing that former President Donald J. Trump is leading Vice President Kamala Harris by five percent (50-45%).
The poll, which took place last week in Arizona, took responses from 713 registered voters. Eighty-seven percent of respondents were either very likely or almost certain to vote in the presidential general election.
Trump flipped this poll from the previous month’s result, when he trailed Harris by four percent (49-45%). Last year (in October), Trump also led Harris by five percent (48-43%).
In this latest installment, seven percent of respondents either didn’t know the candidate they would be voting for or refused to answer.
President Joe Biden had a 60% disapproval rating in this poll, which was increased from 57% last month.
The 45th President had a 47% approval rating in this survey, compared to a 51% unfavorable rating.
Harris had a 46% favorable rating in September, compared to a 51% unfavorable rating.
The economy, at 26%, was selected as the number one issue for voters in factoring into their vote for November. Immigration and abortion followed as the next issues of importance. Trump was selected by more respondents in the Arizona poll as the candidate who “would do a better job of handling the issue you think is most important.”
Arizona voters had far more trust in Trump for handling the economy (57-40%) and immigration (54-42%). Harris enjoyed a larger lead when it came to voters’ trust for her policies on abortion (55-39%) and a smaller advantage for the issue of democracy (49-46%).
More respondents believed that Trump’s policies have helped them and others (44%) than hurt (34%), while more individuals thought that Harris’ policies would hurt them (40%) than help (36%).
Voting for the General Election has already begun in the Grand Canyon State, with the contest just over a month away.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Sep 2, 2024 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
On Wednesday, U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema heaped praise on the Biden-Harris Administration for the nomination of Sharad Desai as a U.S. District Court judge.
Sharad is the brother of a sitting 9th Circuit Court Judge, Roopali Desai.
Sharad, Vice President and General Counsel for defense contractor Honeywell, worked as a civil litigator for Arizona law firm Osborn Maledon. At Honeywell, he focused on IT, Digital, and Strategic matters as well as Supply Chain and Electronic Solutions, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to his civil practice he worked as a law clerk for now-retired Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch during her 13-year tenure as Vice Chief Justice.
In a joint press release, Sinema said, “Sharad Desai possesses the experience, integrity, and intellect to serve as a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. I’m proud to have recommended his nomination to the White House and I look forward to securing his bipartisan confirmation by the United States Senate.”
Kelly added, “The President has nominated Mr. Desai, who is experienced and well-regarded by Arizona’s legal community, to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona.” He added, “I congratulate him on this important nomination and look forward to working towards his confirmation in the United States Senate.”
As reported by Reuters, Sharad was in attendance at his sister’s confirmation hearing where she told the Senate Judiciary Committee that her brother and sister, who is an Arizona law professor, are her “biggest cheerleaders.” The outlet also noted that Roopali Desai was an election lawyer prior to her appointment and has worked for Sen. Sinema’s political campaigns.
While both Desais are highly experienced attorneys with impressive qualifications, the political significance of Roopali Desai’s work in recent years cannot be overstated, or overlooked. And whether the political efforts of then-counselor Desai influenced the nomination of one or both of them will very likely play into Sharad Desai’s confirmation hearing, along with any potential nominations that University of Arizona Law Professor Shefali Milczarek-Desai might see in the future.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
