Rebekah L. Sanders

The Republic | azcentral.com

If your mailbox is getting clogged, it's probably from all the political mailers being sent out as early voting gets underway in the Aug. 30 primary.

Who's up for election in the primary?

Candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, the Arizona Legislature and county and local races.

How does early voting work?

Ballots have been mailed to voters who requested them or are on the permanent early voting list. Voters who want to cast a ballot early in person can visit 21 sites across the county until the weekend before the primary. Find a location to vote early in person at http://recorder.maricopa.gov/elections/evlocations.aspx.

MORE:azcentral 2016 Arizona voters guide

Where will I vote on Election Day?

For voters waiting until Election Day to cast their ballots in person, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has approved a plan to serve 724 precincts with 645 polling sites, some of which will handle voters from more than one precinct.

Voters must cast their ballot at their assigned polling place. The county will not use Election Day voting centers that are open to all, as it did during the March presidential-preference election and the May special election. ​Find your Election Day polling place at http://recorder.maricopa.gov/pollingplace/.

Who knew beforehand about Arizona's disastrous presidential-primary election plan?

Are there enough polling places?

Democrats and voting-rights advocates argue that Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell, who oversees elections, should have found more polling places for the primary to make sure voters don't stand in hours-long lines as they did during the March election.

"Where is the mutual respect that every precinct should have and that the voters ought to have?" said Adrian Fontes, a Democrat running to unseat Purcell . "There are not 724 polling places. ... There are combined polling places. ... That's problematic because there are some communities who aren't going to be served."

Austin Marshall, president of the Arizona State University Young Democrats, said he hopes Purcell can find a polling place closer to campus for the general election Nov. 8, rather than the site about a mile away for the Aug. 30 primary.

"This will be, for many students, their first time voting," Marshall said, noting he is working with the ASU College Republicans, student government and Purcell. "We want to make sure if (students) want that experience at the polls, they are able to do that."

Purcell said she has tried to find as many polling places as possible, but that it’s difficult to secure locations that meet requirements such as parking and accessibility for disabled voters.

"We will continue to try to do that," she said. "We have asked people in these groups for their input. If they can find someplace for us, we will certainly go out and evaluate it."

She added that polling places will have equipment to process two to three lines of voters, cutting down on wait times.

Sam Pstross, director of the Arizona Advocacy Network, praised Purcell's openness to suggestions, such as agreeing to allow many city clerks to collect early ballots dropped off on Election Day and to set up a similar drop-off site at ASU.

"I think that's great. That helps increase (voter participation)," Pstross said.

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