The race for the oval office is quickly coming to a close, and with Arizona recently emerging as a battleground state, the message for Arizona’s voters is clear: Get out and vote.
Arizona allows for both in-person early voting and voting by mail. UA students registered to vote in Arizona have multiple options to cast their ballots.
The Associated Students of the University of Arizona office, on the third floor of the Student Union Memorial Center, acts as an early voting location weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Nov. 4.
Students with a voter registration card and a student ID or another combination of acceptable voter identification, can receive and cast a ballot
on campus.
UA students who requested a mail-in ballot before Oct. 28 can cast their votes by mail. Ballots should be mailed three to five days before Nov. 8 because they must be received by 7 p.m. the night of the election. Students with mail-in ballots can deposit them in the mailboxes around campus or the UPS location in the SUMC’s lower level.
Mail-in ballots legally require the individual whose name appears on the ballot to complete them. For the first time, this year’s election laws require all mail-in ballots turned into early voting stations or polling places must be done so by the individual whose name appears on the ballot.
The First United Methodist Church’s Arizona Room, located at 915 E. Fourth St. or across the street from Kaibab-Huachuca Residence Hall and the Tyndall Avenue Parking Garage, will serve as campus’s closest polling station. Students with valid identification can cast their ballots on site Nov. 8 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
When voting, students must bring their Arizona driver’s license or passport. If a student does not possess either of these, they may bring their UA student identification along with their voter registration card. A full list of acceptable combinations of identification documents can be found on the Pima County Recorder’s website.
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For out-of-state students, mail-in absentee ballots from the student’s home state constitute the easiest way to cast a ballot. If out-of-state students registered to vote in Arizona using a federal voter registration form, they can opt to participate in early voting on campus or at the Arizona polls Nov. 8.
These students remain subject to Arizona’s voter identification requirement and only their votes for federal offices will be counted. Some states still allow for mail-in ballot requests.
For those voters tired of Donald Trump of Hillary Clinton, there’s the opportunity to vote third party.
Jo Holt, Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party, said students can visit the Pima County Democrats website to find a list of down ballot candidates and
their websites.
Bill Beard, Chair of the Pima County Republican Party, said students who visit the Pima County GOP website will also be able to research candidates from a list of down ballot races.
UA students can also vote to retain Arizona judges. The Commission on Judicial Performance Review “collects input from everyone who has contact with a judge including litigants, witnesses, jurors and lawyers.” The review then compiles this data to determine if a judge can apply the law fairly, manage a courtroom and treat individuals with respect.
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The 32-member commission, appointed by the Arizona Supreme Court, consists of members of the public, judges and lawyers. Each member determines if a judge meets the commission’s standards and the results of these votes are released to the public online.
UA students will be voting on corporation commissioners, who are responsible for overseeing Arizona’s power companies and decide rules concerning how much they charge energy users, which is particularly important for residential solar power.
Voters will also decide two propositions, one on recreational marijuana legalization and one to increase the state’s minimum wage to $12 by 2020.
Obama said it at the Democratic Convention and Trump said it here in Phoenix last Saturday: “Don’t boo, vote.”
Follow Randall Eck on Twitter.
