Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

The Republic | azcentral.com

Tuesday's election was marred by long lines and complaints of irregularities at the polls

County Recorder Helen Purcell, who oversees voting in the county, has apologized

For some voters, Arizona's presidential preference election was like a horror movie, one with a boring plot that drags on way too long.

They braved overflowing parking lots. Battled extraordinarily long lines. And some reached the front of those lines only to learn their votes wouldn't count because the system showed them as independents – even though they swore they had re-registered as Republicans or Democrats.

Dozens of you shared your election-day horror stories with The Arizona Republic.

Among them were some only-in-Arizona-type complaints.

Fred Tomlin of Sun City West fired up his golf cart Tuesday to motor to a nearby church to vote. But no one was there. His wife fired up the Internet and found their nearest polling place – in Surprise. He was devastated: "I couldn't drive my golf cart there! What a shambles."

What follows are seven of horror stories from Tuesday's presidential preference election:

Mary Schmit, 61, Republican from Chandler

She rationed water during her three-hour wait to cast a ballot at an American Legion hall. When she made it to the front of the line, she was frustrated to learn of the "huge number" of people registered as independents who wanted to vote by provisional ballots, which slowed the process. One poll worker estimated it takes 10 to 15 minutes to cast a provisional ballot.

When she finally cast her ballot, she discovered "only TWO of us were in the actual voting booths." In future elections, she wrote, Republicans and Democrats should have been put in one line and first-time voters and independents put in another.

She later said, "As far as 'voter suppression?' We were all suppressed – it was equal-opportunity suppression."

A.W. Spicer, 75, Republican from Sun City West

Spicer is on the county's "Permanent Early Voting List," but said he didn't get his ballot. He wanted to cast his vote Tuesday, but couldn't figure out where to go. Disgusted, he phoned county elections officials, who told him his ballot had gone out weeks ago, and according to their information, had been delivered.

He did receive his ballot on Wednesday. You read that right: Wednesday – a day after the election. Spicer said officials promised to investigate the case of the missing ballot.

"Great job," he said of the election. "Wonder how many others had this experience."

JessaLynne Chavira, 25, Democrat from Buckeye

She and her husband drove to a Goodyear church and waited three hours to vote "only to find out that somehow our party affiliation was changed to 'no party preference.' "

She wrote that her husband has been a registered Democrat since 2008 but elections officials told him he was listed as no party preference on their end. He had to vote a provisional ballot. She has been a registered Democrat since 2011, but officials told her they had no record of that either. She, too, had to vote a provisional ballot.

"Our votes should count," she wrote. "There were so many people in line who ended up having to vote through provisional ballots because their party affiliation changed."

Noor Awartani, 25, Democrat from Glendale

She drove 10 minutes to her voting location with her 7-month-old baby in tow, but then couldn't find a parking spot.

Plus, she wrote, the line was long and "there was no way I could get my 7-month-old to stay in line for that long in the heat," she wrote, later adding, "One of us would have gone crazy."

Awartani, who would have voted for Democratic contender Bernie Sanders, wrote, "I didn't end up voting and that really makes me so upset."

Danette Au, 49, Democrat from Chandler

She went to her polling place at a VFW hall in Chandler and was excited to vote for Sanders.

She didn't count on having to wait for two hours. She's still recovering from knee surgery and it was painful to stand for so long. It was even more painful for her Wednesday, when her knee throbbed and it was difficult to walk.

After waiting about two hours in line to vote, she was told she is not a registered Democrat.

"Apparently my registration had been changed from Democrat to no party designated," Au wrote. "... They gave me a provisional ballot."

She was upset about the discrepancy, saying she's been a registered Democrat for about 20 years.

Ashley Thomas, 25, Democrat from Phoenix

She and her boyfriend showed up at their polling place at a north Phoenix church about 6:30 p.m. to cast their votes for Sanders.

They shared her cardigan as they waited five hours in the "freezing wind" to make it to the front of the line. Once there, poll workers told them they had to vote using provisional ballots because the address on file for them was not up to date.

"I hope they're going to be counted," she said.

Tina Strong, 39, Republican from north Phoenix

She got sunburned waiting with her husband for four hours to cast her vote for Ted Cruz. She witnessed lots of people – including a pregnant woman – bailing on the democratic process because they couldn't stand around forever, and they had other obligations.

While the lines evoked patriotism, they also provoked anger. She was frustrated to learn only four poll workers were checking in voters. The parking lot was backed up when they tried to leave, and by the time they left about 6:30 p.m., the line to vote had more than doubled.

"We will sign up for early voting for the next election," she wrote.

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