The election countdown is over and Arizona voters could be a deciding factor in both choosing the next president and determining who controls the U.S. Senate.
Arizona is one of seven swing states with an unpredictable outcome in a tight presidential race that has exposed deep cultural and gender divides on issues that include reproductive rights, immigration and the economy.
President Joe Biden defeated Trump by the smallest margin in the country four years ago, winning by fewer than 11,000 votes.
Throughout the election season, Republicans and Democrats viewed Arizona’s 11 electoral college votes are up for grabs, which meant both parties did aggressive campaigning throughout the state and both Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris visited on multiple occasions.
Election 2024: See Arizona election results | Live coverage throughout Election Day
Arizonans — and voters across the country — will see initial results from early voters and in-person voters at the polls on election night. The first batch will drop about an hour after polls close, with more to follow throughout the night.
The presidential race is not the only high-stakes contest on the Arizona ballot.
Arizonans also are set to vote in a marquee U.S. Senate race between Republican former news anchor Kari Lake and U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. that could help determine the party that controls the Senate chamber.
Lake appears to have gained ground on Gallego, who has held an advantage in the polls since the outset of the race. The seat is now held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., who announced in March she would not seek a second term.
Arizona also is one of 10 states in the country where voters will be deciding on abortion rights. Proposition 139, the Arizona ballot measure, would create a fundamental right to abortion in the Arizona Constitution. The measure prohibits any restrictions on abortion up until fetal viability and prevents the government from restricting abortions after viability that are necessary to protect the life or physical or mental health of the mother.
Abortion law in Arizona was in flux for months following the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision to overturn the landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling that for nearly 50 years had guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion. The justices ruled that states could set their own abortion laws without any federal standard protecting abortion access.
Democrats have been leading the fight for reproductive freedom while Republicans have been leading efforts to restrict abortion access, yet polling suggests that while Proposition 139 is expected to easily pass, that does not mean Arizonans will be widely supportive of Democrats on the ballot.
Other high-profile races in the state include:
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Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. Incumbent Republican David Schweikert locked in a tight race against Democrat Amish Shah, an emergency room physician and former state lawmaker, in Arizona’s most affluent congressional district. Schweikert, a seven-term member of Congress, is a free-market Republican while Shah is a “practical” Democrat who won a crowded six-way primary. The race is rated a toss-up.
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Arizona’s 6th Congressional District. In a rematch from 2022, incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., faces Democratic former state legislator Kirsten Engel, an environmental lawyer whom he defeated by less than 2% of the vote. Ciscomani is a free-market Republican and served as an aide to former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. The race is rated a toss-up. Arizona’s congressional delegation is now 6-3 Republican, so flipping both seats could flip the delegation to Democrats.
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The Arizona Legislature. Control of 90 seats in the Arizona Legislature is up for grabs. Republicans control the state House of Representatives by a 31-29 margin, but Democrats say they have their best shot in more than a half-century to take control of that chamber. It’s a familiar refrain — they tried in 2018. Then again in 2020. And yet again in 2022, but they remain hopeful that this year will be different.
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Maricopa County recorder. The recorder oversees how elections are run within the county, and previous politicians in the position have pushed massive changes to the way their county votes. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer lost his primary to Republican state lawmaker Justin Heap, who faces Democratic contender Timothy Stringham. Richer was widely criticized by conspiracy theorists for defending the 2020 election results and Heap has avoided questions about whether he thinks the 2020 election was rigged. (There’s no evidence the 2020 election was rigged, though conspiracy theorists continue to baselessly insist that it was).
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Maricopa County sheriff. For the first time in decades, a sitting sheriff is not in the general election race. The 2024 race for sheriff is down to Democrat Tyler Kamp and Republican Jerry Sheridan. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is one of the largest sheriff’s offices in the nation, with upward of 3,000 employees, including deputies, jail guards and civilians. Several voters told The Arizona Republic during the primary they were supporting Sheridan because they believed he would bring back tactics from the times of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who branded himself as “America’s toughest sheriff.”
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Phoenix mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Kate Gallego will face Republican challenger Matt Evans, a software engineer who unsuccessfully campaigned for the District 2 City Council seat in 2022. Evans, a Republican, said he’s running to bring a new perspective to Phoenix City Council and stop the string of Democratic mayors.
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Proposition 314, the immigration ballot measure. Titled the “Secure the Border Act,” Proposition 314 would classify illegal border crossings as a state crime and aims to grant the state more authority over the federally managed international border. Critics say the measure dredges up Arizona’s darkest immigration days and that it would stoke fear in communities, separate families, and lead to increased racial discrimination by law enforcement.
‘SB 1070 2.0’: Arizona Republicans want to make illegal immigration a state crime
This story will be updated as election results are reported.
Republic reporters Sasha Hupka, Mary Jo Pitzl, Jimmy Jenkins, Stephanie Murray and Sean Holstege contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizonans are playing a pivotal role in the 2024 general election
