Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell explains what’s being done to prepare for the special election on a temporary state sales tax increase, and how you can be prepared to vote in it.
Ted Simons:
Good evening and welcome to "Horizon." I'm Ted Simons. A contempt of court charge is upheld against a Maricopa County sheriff's office detention officer, but the officer won't have to make a public apology. The Arizona Court of Appeals today sent back to the lower court a contempt charge against Officer Adam Stoddard, who took a letter from a defense attorney's files. The court said that while it agreed with the ruling, Stoddard did not have to make a public apology to the defense attorney, as ordered by the superior court judge Gary Donahoe. The appeals court order the superior court to find a different punishment for Stoddard; possibly a fine. A bill that makes some Arizonans wait longer before getting a divorce was shot down in the Arizona house today. The bill would have allowed either party in a divorce to ask for a waiting period of 120 days; that's twice as long as the current waiting period. Next month, voters will be able to decide on a one-cent increase in the sales tax to help with the current budget shortfall. Here to talk about the wherefores and whatnots of the election is Maricopa County recorder Helen Purcell. Good to have you on the show. Thanks for joining us.
Helen Purcell:
Thanks for inviting me.
Ted Simons:
We're set?
Helen Purcell:
Good to go.
Ted Simons:
If you're not registered, how do you register?
Helen Purcell:
You have until the 19th of April to register for this election and you can go online and register. If you have a license, driver's license, you can do it online and you can download a form off the secretary of state's website.
Ted Simons:
And describe early balloting.
Helen Purcell:
We have almost 17,000 people on our permanent voting list for every election for which they'll eligible, they'll get a ballot. Meaning the 22nd of this month, of April, we'll send out a ballot to every one of those people on the permanent voting list and anyone who requests between then and 10 days prior to the election will also get a ballot.
Ted Simons:
The early voting can start by April 22nd and if you want the early voting possibility, you have until early May.
Helen Purcell:
10 days before the election.
Ted Simons:
The last day to -- you can take the early ballot to an early ballot site, correct?
Helen Purcell:
Yes, you can choose to do that or drop it off at any polling place on Election Day. We prefer you do it early. Our theme is to get the ballot, vote it and return it.
Ted Simons:
These early sites, are there many of those?
Helen Purcell:
Not for this election. We're try to do this similar to a presidential preference election. Only 409 polling places which is about half of what we normally have and only have our three offices for the early voting. Unless some of the cities that are on this ballot choose to have early voting in their city.
Ted Simons:
And the three -- did you say three sites?
Helen Purcell:
Yes.
Ted Simons:
All in the Phoenix metro area?
Helen Purcell:
No, two in the Phoenix area and one in Mesa.
Ted Simons:
And if you're in Yuma, you better mail it in.
Helen Purcell:
Then you go to another county that makes a difference.
Ted Simons:
I got you. You don't like the idea. You're not crazy about the idea you have a early ballot and then don't even hand it in until election day. The idea is to do it early.
Helen Purcell:
If you don't hand it in until Election Day, we don't count it until after. We have the week to 10 days after that we have to count the ballot.
Ted Simons:
How soon should we get information on this?
Helen Purcell:
We can't release results until after an hour after the polls close. The first results will be at 8:00 and those will be of the early ballots we've counted prior to the election. Everything in, we will have already counted and those will be the first ones and then you see the other precincts coming in, the combined precincts and we'll have a map on the website that you can look at to tell what's coming in and what's not.
Ted Simons:
And as far as polling places, from when to when?
Helen Purcell:
6:00 in the morning until 7:00.
Ted Simons:
Your location, there's always a question. Every time, where do you vote. Do I vote where I voted last time?
Helen Purcell:
This time you probably won't vote where you did last time because we have the consolidated precincts. Go on our website and put in your address and it will tell you. Or call our office. And you can get the information there. It's all going to be on the sample ballot. For the secretary of state's office and there's a number of ways to know where you're supposed to go.
Ted Simons:
There shouldn't be a mystery.
Helen Purcell:
Not at all.
Ted Simons:
What about I.D.?
Helen Purcell:
Well, we have that just a little bit, if you have a driver's license, that -- and you have moved but haven't changed the address on your driver's license, with the change in the law, you can now use that and not have to vote a provisional ballot. But you need photo I.D. with name and address on it, or other type of utility bill or something like that to bring with you at the polling place to make sure we know who you are and a registered voter in Maricopa County.
Ted Simons:
Ok. What kind of turnout are you thinking you might get?
Helen Purcell:
I'm not looking for a very big turnout. I hate that. I wish we would have a large one. And I don't have anything to bank it on except my gut feeling and I think 30%.
Ted Simons:
Really?
Helen Purcell:
Which is ridiculous in an election like this and I hope I'm wrong. I really do.
Ted Simons:
You mentioned an election like this. A statewide special election at this time of year. How unusual is that?
Helen Purcell:
I don't think we've ever had one.
Ted Simons:
Really?
Helen Purcell:
I don't think so, not that I'm aware of.
Ted Simons:
Seems like you have municipal things here and there, but nothing state citywide.
Helen Purcell:
March and May are jurisdictional and big elections of statewide and countywide -- I think we'll find a lot of people, winter visitors have gone back to Michigan and are they going to vote before they leave?
Ted Simons:
I know there's a county attorney, there's a special election but not really -- not really special. How does this work?
Helen Purcell:
Well, it's a special election in that we don't usually have a county election -- for county attorney in this election year. But because we have a resignation and there will be someone appointed by the board to fill in until the -- by the board of supervisors but there will be an election held this year.
Ted Simons:
When November rolls around, it will look like regular business even though it's a special election?
Helen Purcell:
And yes, and in the primary in August.
Ted Simons:
Always a pleasure, thanks for joining us.
Helen Purcell:
Thank you.
Helen Purcell:Maricopa County Recorder;
