BY KTAR.COM
Maricopa County officials have released the approved plan for the upcoming 2022 elections, which includes an expansion of voting access.
The plan, which can be viewed online, informs voters about key information on ways to cast their ballot and what to expect for the primary election in August and general election in November.
“I am grateful and proud of the team in the Recorder’s Office and Elections Department for their steadfast dedication in planning for the 2022 primary and general elections with thoroughness and competency,” Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said in a press release.
“I encourage the public to read this plan and make sure they are prepared for how they choose to participate in Maricopa County elections this year.”
People can vote in both elections several ways, including through the mail, by dropping off an early ballot at secure boxes or casting a ballot at voter centers before or on Election Day.
The county will use a “vote anywhere” model that allows people to choose from a variety of locations, days and hours that are convenient for them to vote in person or drop off an early ballot.
There will be 210-225 vote centers in the county that will be phased in, according to the plan, opening up to 27 days before Election Day and others that will be available only on Election Day.
The vote centers can be found throughout the county, which the county said will serve rural communities, Native American tribes and densely populated areas. The centers are usually less than two miles apart and are near bus routes or light rail lines, the county said.
People will be able to view live wait times and search for voting centers near them on the county’s website.
The county used the same model last election cycle, with around 170 locations available for voters in 2020. It was a change from 2016 when a precinct model was used where voters were assigned to a voting precinct.
Early ballots will be mailed to voters signed up on the Active Early Voting List on July 6 for the primary election and Oct. 12 for the general election. The county said more than two million people are signed up on the Active Early Voting List, which represents 77% of voters.
An estimated 748,000-961,000 people are expected to cast a ballot in the primary election and 1.4-1.9 million in the general election, the county said.
