The Republic | azcentral.com

Election Day is fully in the rear view, but news from the historic night continues. Full election returns are available at results.azcentral.com. Also see a recap of our two-hour election night show with results and insights.

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Monday update: Fontes declared winner over Purcell

Adrian Fontes will be Maricopa County's next recorder, azcentral.com announced in calling the heated race. But Fontes, a Democrat, declined to claim victory over Helen Purcell, saying he would wait until all the votes are counted (which, by the way, is the job of Purcell's office, but not Purcell herself).

By the close of business Monday, Fontes led Purcell by 1 percentage point, or 12,976 votes. The county says it has 45,000 early ballots still to count, plus 55,000 provisional ballots that need to be examined.

In Legislative District 28, Republican Kate Brophy McGee is leading Democrat Eric Meyer by 2.24 percentage points, or 2,133 votes. They are vying for a Senate seat stretching from central Phoenix to northeast Phoenix, including Paradise Valley.

In Tucson's LD10, Rep. Stefanie Mach, a Democrat, continues to run third in a race for two seats in the House of Representatives.

Sunday update: Maricopa County recorder, LD28 Senate

With 112,000 early ballots yet to count in Maricopa County, several tight races are still too close to call as the weekend comes to an end.

In the race for a state Senate seat in Legislative District 28, Republican Kate Brophy McGee has maintained her lead over Democrat Eric Meyer by 1.5 percentage points. That's a 1,336-vote edge.

Over the weekend, Republican Frank Schmuck conceded his state Senate battle to Democrat Sean Bowie. As of Sunday, Bowie's advantage was 2.9 percentage points.

In the Maricopa County recorder's race, Democrat Adrian Fontes is holding the lead over incumbentHelen Purcell, with a 1 percentage-point advantage. That's 12,746 votes.

Cliffhanger update: Legislature, county recorder

By the close of business Friday, Republican Kate Brophy McGee was leading Democrat Eric Meyer by 1.16 percentage points in the state Senate race in east-central Phoenix/Paradise Valley. Meyer took the lead in the first round of ballot returns, but McGee now has a 1,320-vote edge.

In Tucson's LD 10, Democrat Stefanie Mach continues to hold third place in a House race in which the top two vote getters win. Mach, a two-term incumbent, trails fellow Democrat Kirsten Engel by 612 votes and Republican Todd Clodfelter by 569 votes. On a percentage basis, the three candidates are separated by less than a half-percentage point.

In the apparent race for the second seat, Republican Bob Robson trails fellow Republican Jill Norgaard by 1.6 percentage points in suburban LD 18. Democrat Mitzi Epstein hold the lead, with a 1.2-percent edge over Norgaard.

And in the LD 28 House race, Republican Maria Syms leads Mary Hamway, also a Republican, by 1.6 percent. Democrat Kelli Butler maintains her hold on the top spot, leading Syms by 2.5 percentage points.

In the Maricopa County Recorder's race, incumbent Helen Purcell trails Republican Adrian Fontes by 1 percentage point, or 11,840 votes.

Vote counting is expected to last well into next week.

AP: Trump wins Arizona

Donald Trump met President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday, and his transition team was working on plans for his administration. But in Arizona, the race between Trump and Clinton was still not settled, not that it had any bearing on the overall outcome.

That ended Thursday evening when the Associated Press, which The Republic and azcentral rely on to call races, projected that Trump will win the state's 11 electoral votes.

Election officials here expect to finally wrap up their ballot counting next Wednesday or Thursday.

Many Arizonans Googling 'how to move to Canada'

Of all of the Google searches performed in Arizona during the 24 hours after U.S. polls began to close Tuesday, the No. 1 "how to" query was "how to move to Canada," according to an azcentral analysis.

Rounding out the top five were "how to impeach a president," "how many electoral votes to win," "how to become a Canadian citizen" and "how to move to Canada from U.S."

To put that in context, the most-searched-for "how to" in Arizona for the week before the election was “how to vote” and No. 5 was “how to be single.”

But as it became clear Donald Trump was headed toward the presidency, Arizonans' top Google searches reflected the new reality.

We analyzed Google Trends information to find out what the most popular search queries in Arizona were between about 6 p.m. Tuesday and 6 p.m. Wednesday.

State Republicans aren't waiting idly on vote counts

Republicans at the state Capitol elected new leaders on Wednesday, even as the makeup of the next Legislature was unclear.

Several key races were still undecided, awaiting further vote counting. (See below.)

While final counts are still pending, it's clear Republicans will retain their hold on the state House of Representatives, which they have done for 50 years. Speaker-elect J.D. Mesnard, chosen by his GOP colleagues on Wednesday, said he expects to have a caucus of 35 Republicans, down one from the current number. That would give the House a 35-25 partisan split.

In the Senate, leaders are looking at a 17-13 split, or possibly a narrowing to 16 Republicans and 14 Democrats, said Sen. Kimberly Yee, R-Phoenix and the incoming majority leader.

The Senate makeup depends on the results of the contest between Rep. Kate Brophy McGee and Rep. Eric Meyer.

McGee, a Republican, was leading Democrat Meyer by 1 percentage point, or fewer than 900 votes late Wednesday, with thousands more ballots to count.

Ballot-count update: More than 600,000 Arizona votes left to process

As of Wednesday evening, there were nearly 628,000 votes still to be processed statewide, with 470,000 of those in Maricopa County, officials said. Those outstanding votes will make it hard to finalize close races, including the one for Maricopa County recorder and some legislative districts.

Because many voters receive early ballots in the mail, the ballot count stretches beyond the first night. Many ballots returned early were counted by Tuesday night, but ballots dropped off in the final days are held to be counted after Election Day. About 2.1 million early ballots were mailed to voters statewide and 1.7 million were returned by Election Day, said Matt Roberts, spokesman for the Arizona Secretary of State's Office.

Most large counties, such as Maricopa and Pima, will begin counting early ballots again Thursday, after verifying voters' signatures on the envelopes. Provisional ballots must be verified, then counted, and it will be well into next week until those votes are tallied.

Back home, he's 'The Indian who helped Trump win'

Avinash Iragavarapu, the Arizona Republican Party's executive director, is getting some attention in his native India thanks to Donald Trump's victory.

TV9, an Indian satellite television news network, aired an 11-minute interview with Iragavarapu, whose unlikely path from working on campaigns in India to the highest staff position with the Arizona GOP was the subject of a July story by The Republic's Yvonne Wingett Sanchez.

The Republic discovered it when readership of a three-month-old azcentral story about Iragavarapu suddenly spiked Wednesday. Based on the title of the TV9 piece — "The Indian who helped Trump win" — his role in Trump's victory might be overstated. But Iragavarapu is undoubtedly a valued member of state GOP staff.

As the azcentral story detailed, Iragavarapu, who moved to Arizona from India in 2014, can't vote but he hopes to one day become a U.S. citizen.

A Trump administration's impact on your wallet

The stock market plummeted in overnight futures trading after it became clear Donald Trump had won the White House. But that swoon didn't last as the market closed with stock indexes higher on Wednesday.

Still, the episode underscored the celebrity billionaire's economic proposals will have real financial impacts. Russ Wiles reports that among the impacts Arizonans expect are lower income taxes, job losses in some trade-related industries, and cheaper vacations to Mexico.

Valdez: Would Trump have been as gracious in defeat?

It's taking some time for people to process Donald Trump's stunning victory. Republic opinion columnist Linda Valdez is among them.

Valdez penned The Republic's historic editorial endorsing Hillary Clinton for president on behalf of the newspaper's editorial board. And after watching Clinton's Wednesday morning concession speech Valdez wrote this: "In her classy concession speech, Hillary Clinton said she told Donald Trump she hopes he will be a successful president.

"Can anyone imagine him saying that if the election had gone the other way?"

Sen. Jeff Flake eating crow

Among high-profile Arizona Republicans, Sen. Jeff Flake was Donald Trump's most vocal critic. Not only did he not endorse the celebrity billionaire but he publicly challenged Trump at points during the campaign.

For example, Flake personally confronted Trump in a July meeting in Washington, D.C. Then in September Flake went on national television to say Trump's controversial statements on immigration had put Arizona in play for the Democrats. Flake added that the intense immigration speech Trump delivered in Phoenix days earlier was "just confusing."

Predictably, Trump attacked Flake on Twitter, saying the GOP needed "strong and committed leaders, not weak people such as @JeffFlake."

Now that Trump is the president elect and leader of the Republican Party for the foreseeable future, Flake extended an olive branch. He tweeted Wednesday, "I look forward to working with him. Now, back to eating crow."

Updated: County still has a lot of votes to count

The election may not be over for a few close races in Maricopa County, where officials now must tabulate the early ballots dropped off Tuesday, early ballots that arrived in the mail in the days before the election and provisional ballots cast Tuesday but not counted.

The county estimates it has 415,000 early ballots still to process and count along with 55,000 provisionals, said Elizabeth Bartholomew, spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office.

The provisional ballots must be researched and verified before their votes are added to the totals.

Bartholomew said Maricopa County won’t be done counting until the middle of next week.

There are more than 600,000 votes still to be processed statewide, per an Arizona Republic analysis of state and county data. That number could grow as more counties report their number of early and provisional ballots outstanding.

Maricopa County will have a small update to vote totals Wednesday, but for the most part will be processing early ballots all day, Bartholomew said. County officials will begin tabulating early ballots at 9 am on Thursday, she said.

Meantime, Pima County won’t finish its vote count until well into next week, county Registrar of Voters Chris Roads tells Republic reporter Rob O'Dell.

The county has 28,000 early ballots that were dropped off at the polls and it will take the recorder’s office at least a day to verify the signatures on them, Roads said. The Elections Department typically takes another day or more to count those early ballots, he said.

In addition, the recorder’s office needs to verify 20,900 provisional ballots, which is the second most Pima County has ever had, trailing only 27,000 provisionals cast in 2012.

“It will take us well into next week to get those done,” Roads said.

After Arpaio's defeat, some in his department celebrate

Maricopa County Sheriff-elect Paul Penzone celebrated his victory over Joe Arpaio Tuesday night at public events, but people in the department were experiencing some of the same feelings behind the scenes. From Megan Cassidy's story on azcentral:

In Tuesday-night interviews with The Arizona Republic, several sworn and civilian staff members of various ranks described a surreal, joyous moment after the defeat of the six-term sheriff. Many criticized the understaffed jails, saying they believed that the sheriff prioritized his political career over the well-being of this employees. Some cited the surging legal bills of a racial-profiling suit and their toll on the department's funding.

The full story is on azcentral.

The last days of Sheriff Joe Arpaio

School-funding measures find strong support

Voters seemed mostly willing to help local schools keep up with financial needs Tuesday night. Sixteen of 21 school ballot measures appeared headed for approval, according to Republic reporter Ricardo Cano. From his story:

This is the second year in a row county voters have shown strong support for school-ballot initiatives many districts say they routinely rely on to offset some of the state's school-funding cuts after the recession.

Read the full story on azcentral and see if your schools were successful.

8:15 a.m.: Voter turnout could be lowest in years

With just over 97 percent of the votes counted, it's becoming apparent Arizonans were not enthusiastic about Tuesday's election. The Arizona Secretary of State's office now counts 1,975,407 votes cast statewide, for a turnout of 55 percent — so far the lowest level of voter participation during a presidential election in years. The number will rise as the rest of the ballots are tabulated, but it won't come close to recent elections.

In 2012, a total of 2,323,579 Arizonans cast ballots, for a turnout of 74 percent. In 2008, voter turnout was 78 percent, with 2,320,851 ballots cast. In 2000 and 2004, turnout exceeded 70 percent.

The number of registered voters was the highest ever, with 3,588,466 statewide, an increase of over half a million compared to 2008.

7 a.m.: What you may have missed overnight

Here are some stories to catch you up on election news:

Read Sheriff Joe Arpaio's concession statement after conceding defeat to Democrat Paul Penzone.

While Arizona voters rejected a measure to legalize recreational marijuana, voters in California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts said "yes" to pot. Three and perhaps four states approved medical marijuana. Read the story here.

What were Arizonans Googling during the day Tuesday? Hint: There appeared to be a few voters still undecided about who to vote for. The story's here.

And the voting problems that slowed ballot casting early Tuesday extended to the counting process in Surprise and Wickenburg.

6:30 a.m.: Key races the morning after

Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell appears headed for defeat, unable so far to overcome voter frustration that began after the presidential preference election earlier this year. With 97 percent of the vote counted early Wednesday, Democrat Adrian Fontes held a narrow but consistent lead over Purcell, 50.45 percent to 49.55 percent.

Proposition 205, the measure to allow recreational use of marijuana, went down defeat by about 80,000 votes. The "yes" side drew just under 48 percent of the votes. Proposition 206, the minimum wage measure, passed by a health margin, with almost 60 percent support.

In Arizona's congressional districts, most of the races are ending with lopsided margins for the victors. Rep. Ruben Gallego, the Democratic incumbent from the 7th District, will apparently finish with the highest percentage of vote, nearly 75 percent. Rep. Paul Gosar, the Republican incumbent in the 4th District, drew 72 percent and Rep. Trent Franks, the Republican incumbent from the 8th District, drew 69 percent of the vote in his re-election bid. Reps. David Schweikert, the GOP incumbent in the 6th District, and Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, the Democrat seeking re-election in the 9th District, both are winning with 61 percent of the vote.

Rep. Martha McSally, the Republican in the 2nd District, will win re-election with 57 percent. Of the two new members of the delegation, Republican Andy Biggs has drawn 63 percent of the vote in the 5th District and Democrat Tom O'Halleran has out-drawn Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu in the 1st District with 52 percent.

Rep. Raul Grijalva, the incumbent Democrat in the 3rd District, ran unopposed.

1:02 a.m.

Arizona's ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana has been defeated, according to AP, with more voters saying "no" to Proposition 205. Republicans gathered at a downtown Phoenix hotel cheered the early results that showed Proposition 205 down.

Both campaigns predicted the outcome of Prop. 205 might not be known for days, but the "no" vote led by a comfortable margin throughout election night. Voters in five states were deciding whether to legalize marijuana, with California, Massachusetts and Nevada voters approving legalization.

Prop. 205 would have allowed adults 21 and older to grow marijuana in their homes, and would have established a new state department to regulate the sale of the drug, which would be taxed at 15 percent.

The Yes on 205 has spent more than $3 million, largely from the marijuana and marijuana-related industry. The No on 205 campaign spent about $6 million to defeat the proposal, drawing funding from businesses and groups concerned about its impact on the workforce.

12:30 a.m.

The AP has called the presidential race for Donald Trump. Trump was set to address his supporters at his New York City campaign headquarters. The crowd had waited hours to hear from the Republican nominee.

CNN reported that Clinton had called Trump to concede the race despite her campaign manager saying there would be no concession tonight.

12:05 a.m.

Despite the electoral map showing Trump within inches of winning the White House, there will be no concession from Hillary Clinton tonight.

Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta, just addressed the crowd assembled at her campaign headquarters in New York City, telling them, "Let's get those votes counted, and let's bring this home."

"Everyone should go home, get some sleep, we'll have more to say tomorrow," he said. We are so proud of you and we are so proud of her. She is not done yet."

11:40 p.m.

The AP has called battleground state Pennsylvania with 20 electoral votes for Donald Trump. He now has 264 electoral votes.

11:04 p.m.

Nevada voters have elected the first Hispanic woman to the U.S. Senate, according to the AP.

Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat and former state attorney general, topped Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Heck to keep the seat occupied by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the Democrats' column. See the full story by our sister paper in Reno.

10:48 p.m.

While presidential race and Arizona's recreational marijuana initiative are still undecided, here's what happens with the state's minimum wage with the passage of Proposition 206.

Hundreds of thousands of Arizonans will get a raise Jan. 1. Prop. 206, also called the Healthy Working Families Initiative, proposed raising the state's current $8.05 per hour minimum wage during the next several years to:

$10 per hour in January.

$10.50 in 2018.

$11 in 2019.

$12 in 2020.

Starting in 2021, the minimum wage would be adjusted annually based on cost of living.

10:31 p.m.

Democrat Tom O'Halleran has won Arizona's 1st Congressional District, according to to the AP, defeating Republican Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu. The seat was vacated by Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Sen. John McCain.

10:22 p.m.

The AP has called Nevada for Clinton, bringing the projected Electoral College tally to 244 for Trump and 215 for Clinton.

10:17 p.m.

Financial markets continue to be volatile, as election results come in. USA Today reports that Dow futures dove about 800 points; Japan's Nikkei is down more than 5 percent.

10:06 p.m.

AP calls the state of Iowa for Trump. Iowa has six electoral votes.

10:00 p.m.

The U.S. Senate is on track to stay under Republican control, with USA Today reporting that Republicans held seats in Indiana, North Carolina and Wisconsin and are leading races in Missouri and New Hampshire. Democrats needed a net gain of five seats for a majority, or four seats for a 50-50 split.

9:53 p.m.

The AP has called Arizona's Tucson-based 2nd Congressional District. The AP shows Rep. Martha McSally, the first-term Republican incumbent, defeating Democrat Matt Heinz.

9:43 p.m.

Updates on some of the Arizona races that the AP has yet to call:

In the presidential race, Trump continues to lead Clinton, 49 percent to 46 percent.

Prop. 205, which would legalize recreational marijuana, is trailing 53 percent to 47 percent.

In the Maricopa County recorder race, Democrat Adrian Fontes is leading incumbent Republican Helen Purcell 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent

9:36 p.m.

The AP has called the following states in the presidential race: Georgia for Trump; Washington for Clinton. The AP's Electoral College tally stands at 232 for Trump and 209 for Clinton.

9:23 p.m.

Arizona's two closely contested U.S. House races are starting to show some daylight.

In Eastern Arizona's 1st District Democrat Tom O'Halleran is leading Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu 51 percent to 44 percent. This is the seat vacated by Democrat Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who lost her challenge Sen. John McCain.

In Southern Arizona's 2nd District, first-term incumbent Republican Martha McSally is leading Democrat Matt Heinz, 53 percent to 47 percent.

9:15 p.m.

The AP has called the following states: North Carolina for Trump; Oregon for Clinton. The AP's Electoral College count stands at 216 for Trump to 197 for Clinton.

9:10 p.m.

The AP has called the Maricopa County sheriff's race for Democrat Paul Penzone, ending Sheriff Joe Arpaio's bid for a seventh term.

A tangle of legal troubles, and a mounting legal tab footed by taxpayers, had given Penzone, an edge in public-opinion polls. As of a year ago, the total cost of lawsuits against Arpaio totaled more than $142 million.

9:04 p.m.

The AP has called another several states in the Presidential race: California and Hawaii go to Clinton; Trump takes Idaho. The official Electoral College tally now stands at 201-190 in favor of Trump.

8:58 p.m.

In the Maricopa County sheriff's race, Paul Penzone has extended his lead on Sheriff Joe Arpaio, 55 percent to 45 percent with 40 percent of precincts reporting.

The county recorder race has tightened, as Democrat Adrian Fontes has 50.4 percent of the vote to Republican Helen Purcell's 49.7 percent.

8:48 p.m.

AP has called Arizona’s Senate race for John McCain, the state’s incumbent senior U.S senator who wins a sixth Senate term.

McCain fought off a challenge from three-term U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, a Democrat from Flagstaff.

In remarks at the Heard Museum near downtown Phoenix, he said, "To my supporters, those who have stood with me in all my campaigns and those who did so for the first time in this campaign, all Arizonans who gave me their encouragement, their trust, their efforts, and their most powerful civic possession, their vote, so that I would have another opportunity to be the best senator I can be for you: thank you, thank you, thank you. I will get up every day, determined to work harder for you than the day before to deserve your trust."

At his Election Night event, McCain was joined by U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; retired U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona; and retired U.S. Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona, aides said. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey also may drop by, they said.

Recent polls consistently showed McCain leading Kirkpatrick, who, had she won, would have been the first woman to represent Arizona in the U.S. Senate.

8:45 p.m.

The AP called Colorado for Clinton. The state has 9 electoral votes.

8:40 p.m.

The AP called Ohio for Trump, giving him another 18 electoral votes. Clinton has been declared the winner in Virginia, gaining 13 electoral votes.

8:35 p.m.

With the 1st and 2nd districts still undecided, the AP called the following U.S. House races in Arizona:

The 3rd District for Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva.

The 4th District for Republican Rep. Paul Gosar.

The 5th District for Republican Andy Biggs, who replaces Rep. Matt Salmon.

The 6th District for Republican Rep. David Schweikert.

The 7th District for Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego.

The 8th District for Republican Rep. Trent Franks.

The 9th District for Rep. Kyrsten Sinema.

8:28 p.m.

Trump is leading in Arizona 49 percent to Clinton's 46 percent.

Gov. Doug Ducey, who has endorsed Donald Trump, told the crowd at the state GOP party he was confident Republicans would take back the White House.

“We know how to win Republican races in this state, and tonight, we are going to welcome a new president, and elect, and re-elect some great Republicans back to office,” he said.

Ducey said he was grateful to those gathered, saying “this doesn’t just happen without you.” He thanked them for volunteering their time and dollars. “It’s the reason we’re going to enjoy victory tonight,” he said.

“And it’s the reason we are going to keep Arizona red. We’re off to a good start. We’ve got some good news in the returns. We’re going to see a lot more tonight. I want you to keep the faith – stay positive,” he said.

Elections forecaster Nate Silver, however, said a Trump win in Arizona isn't a foregone conclusion. "It’s not impossible — her numbers are holding up reasonably well in the western part of the country so far, and she’s down by only 2 to 3 points in votes counted so far," he wrote.

8:25 p.m.

The AP called New Mexico for Clinton.

8:15 p.m.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio is trailing in early results by 83,000 votes to Democrat Paul Penzone.

Recorder Helen Purcell is also trailing, by about 19,000 votes to Adrian Fontes.

8:10 p.m.

With about 900,000 votes counted in Arizona, the results in key races are as follows:

The presidential race: Trump leads Clinton, 48 percent to 47 percent.

U.S. Senate race: Sen. John McCain is leading Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, 54 percent to 41 percent.

The ballot proposition to legalize recreational marijuana, Proposition 205, is trailing, 46 percent to 54 percent.

The yes vote on the ballot proposition to raise the minimum wage, Proposition 206, is leading, 60 percent to 40 percent.

8:03 p.m.

AP calls Montana for Trump.

8 p.m.

Results are being posted from the 1.73 million Arizonans who cast early ballots in this year's general election. State election officials estimate that those early ballots will actually equal more than 60 percent of the total votes cast by the states 3.5 million registered voters.

(The analysis assumes that not everyone registered to vote will actually do so.)

A slight majority of those casting early ballots are Republicans.

7:54 p.m.

The world is watching the U.S. election. The AP is reporting that Asian shares are plummeting as Trump holds the lead in the Electoral College, with several battleground states too close to call.

7:34 p.m.

Republican Paul Ryan has been re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, for the state of Wisconsin, per the AP.

7:32 p.m.

Trump wins the state of Louisiana, per the AP.

7:28 p.m.

Clinton wins the state of Connecticut and its seven electoral votes, according to the AP. The biggest key battleground states remain too close to call, with candidates clinging to razor-thin margins in Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

7:15 p.m.

While Arizona's polls close at 7 p.m., voters who are still in line will be allowed to cast their ballots.

County elections officials didn't immediately know how many polling sites in Maricopa County would be affected by long lines but azcentral.com is following up on reports of lines at certain sites.

7:03 p.m.

Trump wins Arkansas, per the AP.

7:01 p.m.

The AP has called seven more states in the presidential race, but none of them add much clarity to the outcome. Trump was declared the winner in Texas, Kansas, Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota. Clinton has taken New York and Illinois.

7:00 p.m.

Polls closed here in Arizona, as well as Colorado, Wisconsin and Texas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota and Wyoming.

We won't have results in Arizona for an hour. And when Arizona does start seeing early returns here, at 8 p.m., it won’t be a complete picture of all early voting.

Elizabeth Bartholomew, spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Elections Department, said they received more than 1 million early ballots. They began counting them on Nov. 1 but have only tabulated 831,000.

“So in-house we have 170,000 that we simply don’t have time to tabulate tonight,” she said.

Officials expect another 200,000 early ballots will have been dropped at polling sites or in the mail today.

They’ll begin counting those ballots Wednesday. Bartholomew wasn’t sure the exact time that would resume.

6:49 p.m.

A number of key battleground states in the Presidential race remain too close to call, including Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Meanwhile, polls in Arizona are set to close in 11 minutes. The azcentral.com live election show will kick-off at 7 p.m.

6:40 p.m.

The Arizona Democratic Party went to court late Tuesday, asking a Maricopa County Superior Court judge to extend voting by two hours, until 9 p.m.

The request was to compensate for glitches that delayed and deterred voters earlier in the day, political director Barb Lubin said.

Judge Randall Warner denied the request Tuesday evening.

Twenty minutes remain until the polls close in Arizona.

6:28 p.m.

Trump wins the state of Alabama and its 9 electoral votes, per the AP.

6:16 p.m.

Trump wins Tennessee and its 11 Electoral College votes, according to the AP. Currently, the electoral vote tally is 51-44, with Trump ahead. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.

6:15 p.m.

Here's what's happening at the Arizona Republican Party's election night gathering.

Arizona GOP spokesman Tim Sifert said an estimated 1,500 Republicans RSVP’ed for the bash at a downtown Phoenix Hotel. He described the room as full of “joyous optimism” as results from the East Coast have streamed in, broadcast on giant TV screens inside a ballroom at the Hyatt Regency hotel.

Republicans said the general consensus was that GOP nominee Donald Trump would sweep the state’s 11 electoral votes. The major races Republicans are watching also included Congressional District 1 between between Paul Babeu and Tom O’Halleren; Prop. 205, which asks voters to legalize marijuana, and the race for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

Outside the ballroom, a man in an Uncle Sam-inspired American top hat mingled with grassroots activists and state party staffers. Cake pops and brownies were set out on a table.

Around 6 p.m., the wine glasses appeared. About 200 members of the media were expected to descend on the hotel. Upstairs, on the third floor, candidates reserved suites to watch the results come in – including Congressional candidate Andy Biggs and Maricopa County Supervisor candidate Bill Gates.

None of the major statewide candidates had appeared as of 6 p.m., but state party Chairman Robert Graham had arrived.

Among those expected later are: Gov. Doug Ducey, Secretary of State Michele Reagan, U.S. Sen. John McCain, and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

State Republican Party Chairman Robert Graham was optimistic Republicans would see wins, but cautioned the sheriff’s race may be tough to hold onto.

-- Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Sarah Jarvis

6:11 p.m.

Trump wins South Carolina and its 9 electoral votes, per the Associated Press.

6:10 p.m.

The AP has called the Florida U.S. Senate race for Republican Marco Rubio. This is one of the key contests for control of Congress' upper chamber.

6:01 p.m.

The Associated Press has called a slew of states, including the District of Columbia, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Massachusettes (all for Clinton) and Oklahoma, for Trump.

6 p.m.

Polls are closing at 16 more states and the District of Columbia. Among those to watch: Pennsylvania and Michigan. Pennsylvania has 20 electoral votes; Michigan has 16.

5:55 p.m.

The presidential race gets a lot of the spotlight, but control of the U.S. Senate, where Republicans hold a majority, is also at stake tonight.

Depending on how a dozen or so races turn out, Democrats could pull even with the GOP or perhaps retake the majority. That will have a big impact on whether Clinton or Trump are able to advance their agenda.

Sen. John McCain's race against Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is among those key races. Here are the other key Senate contests:

Florida: Republican Sen. Marco Rubio vs. Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy.

Illinois: Republican Sen. Mark Kirk vs. Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth.

Indiana: Republican Rep. Todd C. Young vs. Democratic former Sen. Evan Bayh.

Missouri: Republican Sen. Roy Blunt vs. Democrat Jason Kander, Missouri’s secretary of state.

*Nevada: Republican Rep. Joe Heck vs. Democratic former state attorney general Catherine Cortez Masto.

*New Hampshire: Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte vs. Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan.

*North Carolina: Republican Sen. Richard Burr vs. Democrat Deborah Ross.

Ohio: Republican Sen. Rob Portman vs. Democrat Ted Strickland.

Pennsylvania: Republican Sen. Patrick J. Toomey vs. Democratic newcomer Katie McGinty

Wisconsin: Republican Ron Johnson, a first-term incumbent, vs. Democratic former Sen. Russell Feingold.

5:44 p.m.

Is the suspense killing you? Lot of time before polls close in Arizona, and even longer (8 p.m.) before we start getting early results. USA Today built this cool map/interactive that allows you to chart your favorite candidate's path to Electoral College victory.

5:30 p.m.

AP has called West Virginia for Trump.

But all eyes remain on battleground states such as Florida, Ohio and North Carolina, where votes are now being counted but they remain too close to call. Here at azcentral.com, we (and the rest of the USA Today NETWORK) are working with the Associated Press to officially call races. So while TV and cable networks may project or say that their exit polling and data suggests a certain candidate has won a race, we will not officially update our electoral map and results until the AP calls that race.

5:15 p.m.

With some early results starting to come in, here’s what they can tell us about how things will play out:

To win, Trump almost certainly needs victories in Florida, Ohio and North Carolina. Otherwise his path to victory becomes almost impossible. And even if he wins those he still needs to win some states that President Barack Obama won in 2012, while holding the states Republican Mitt Romney won that year.

Clinton, meanwhile, must win Pennsylvania and Virginia. She also needs to beat back Trump’s attempts to make inroads in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Even if Trump is winning those states, however, he still needs to win in the West, including Arizona and Nevada.

The candidates final marathon day of campaigning on Monday largely reflected that reality.

Trump rallied supporters in Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan.

Clinton, meanwhile, traveled to Michigan, North Carolina and made two stops in Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, where she was joined by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as well as her husband former President Bill Clinton and their daughter Chelsea.

5:01 p.m. Polls close in a dozen states, including battleground Florida

Polls are starting to close in some eastern states and some are being called.

AP has called Kentucky and Indiana for Trump.

They've also called Vermont for Clinton. No surprise here.

4:53 p.m. Determined to get to the polls

Maria C. Alonso-Castillo was determined to vote Tuesday, her first time since becoming a U.S. citizen three years ago. Only problem was, the 56-year-old South Phoenix resident had no way to get to the polls. She is disabled.

She doesn’t drive and depends on a walker to get around.

Alonso-Castillo, who was born in Mexico, but came to the U.S. as an 11-year-old girl in 1971, managed to vote thanks to Jessica Figueroa. The 34-year-old woman is a volunteer with the nonprofit advocacy group, LUCHA, Living United for Change in Arizona.

Alonso-Castillo arranged for a LUCHA volunteer to give her a ride to the polls after one of the group’s canvassers knocked on her door Sunday.

The nonprofit group has been canvassing Latinos neighborhoods for months, knocking on doors, and urging voters to support Proposition 206, a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage in Arizona. The group also has been working to defeat Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, because of immigration policies targeting Latinos to arrest undocumented immigrants.

Figueroa arrived to pick up Alonso-Castillo at 1:30 p.m.

4:35 p.m. Clinton, Trump target social media as polls start to close

More polling places were set to close in one of the night's most crucial prizes, Florida, at 7 p.m. ET along with Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia. Key battleground states of Ohio and North Carolina were closing at 7:30. And while the candidates stayed mostly quiet today, their social media accounts did not. More from USA Today here.

4:30 p.m. Why do we have an Electoral College?

The magic number is 270. That's the number either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump needs to get to in order to officially be elected to highest office in the nation. USA Today explains why this system was put in place here.

4 p.m. First polls close in parts of Indiana and Kentucky

Stay tuned for updates as results come in.

3:45 p.m.: Marijuana measure stirs opinions among voters

Marijuana — specifically Proposition 205, the ballot initiative that would legalize its use in Arizona — was on the minds of many Scottsdale residents who cast votes at several polling places in northern areas of the city.

“I’m against 205, I don’t think that’s going to work for us,” said Cathy Clarke, 57, after dropping off her early ballot at Pinnacle Presbyterian Church. “It might solve some issues but it might increase other problems.”

Several people told the Republic's Mark Faller they were motivated by the example of Colorado, where voters passed a similar initiative four years ago.

“We used to live in Colorado and have ex-neighbors who still live there and they hate it,” Ron Spreigl said outside the Cave Creek Unified School District office polling location. “I’ve talked to other people that also have lived there ... we discuss it and nobody’s happy with it.

“It sounds like a panacea for all the trouble, but then all of a sudden you have quadruple the non-working people … just a lot of issues that I don’t think Arizona needs.”

Barbara Ann Gulotta, also citing the Colorado experience, said she questioned whether tax revenue from marijuana sales would find its way to the Department of Education, one of the benefits linked the proposition.

“I see what it’s done to Colorado. I see the extra money that they’ve had to spend to hire police. I see the parks turning into big trash centers. And I don’t believe that the money’s going to go to the schools. I think the money’s going to actually have to go to hiring new police monitor the pot smoking.

“It’s going to be a free-for-all, honestly. Some people say it’s a gateway drug some people don’t. I don’t know. Pot’s already available to those who need it, why do we have to open it up?”

3:30 p.m.: Calls to voter hotlines steady, but easing up

Calls to the Arizona Secretary of State's election hotline started flowing in at 5:45 a.m., and they haven't stopped since.

"It's been nonstop," a spokesman from the Secretary of State's office said. "We're mowing through these as fast as we can."

Early-morning problems with electronic poll books and long lines of voters brought a rush of calls, but complaints mostly tapered off by 10 a.m., the spokesman said. Now, phones ring with voters calling to confirm their voter registration, find their polling place or check if an early ballot has been validated.

Around 3 p.m., calls to 1-877-THE-VOTE, the office's toll-free elections hotline, were directed to a machine. After choosing a language, callers were placed on hold to listen to steady piano music and a message on repeat: Your call is important to us. Please continue to hold and a representative will be with you shortly.

After a few cycles of hold music, callers reached a representative.

"Seven and a half minutes?" the representative said at one point. "Well, that's not too bad."

UPDATED: Treasurer DeWit gives Trump supporters a bad time

That’s East Coast bias for you

State Treasurer Jeff DeWit got flack from the Secretary of State’s office and others when an email under his name stated polls close at 9 p.m.

DeWit, who is the Trump campaign’s chief operating officer, has corrected the statement that was sent to Trump’s Arizona supporters and sent out a tweet clarifying the message to Arizona voters:

The email was written by Trump campaign staff and for unexplained reason, the formatting defaulted to east coast time, which is two hours ahead of Arizona, now that daylight saving time has ended.

Earlier, DeWit is again confusing voters about the process.

In an email to Donald Trump supporters (DeWit is the chief operating officer of the Trump campaign), DeWit advises that polls are open until 9 p.m. They are not: They close at 7 p.m.

DeWit’s error was spotted by the Arizona Secretary of State’s office. In a tweet, spokesman Matt Roberts (@MattFlackAZ) said he is deeply concerned about DeWit’s misinformation.

It’s not the first time: During the March presidential preference election, DeWit told independent voters they could vote. But under state law, they cannot. This contributed to the confusion among independent voters, who showed up to vote and contributed to lines of two to three hours.

UPDATED: 3:15 p.m.: North High students follow Maryvale in Arpaio walkout

Students from North High School in Phoenix organized and executed a walkout on Tuesday afternoon to protest Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, joining hundreds of students who walked out at Maryvale High.

The North students marched from the school on 12th Street and Thomas Road to the UFCW Local 99 on Central Avenue and Thomas Road. The protesters congregated around speakers and organizers of the event before splitting into smaller groups to canvass surrounding neighborhoods and speak to residents about voting.

Walker Grooms, a volunteer with the Bazta Arpaio campaign, flew in from Washington, D.C., to participate in the event.

“We’re raising the profile of the campaign with these young folks who have never grown up or lived a day of their lives not under the shadow of Joe Arpaio,” he said.

It is unclear whether the walkout was coordinated with the school’s permission. School officials were not immediately available for comment.

“I found out about it because the school said they were going against Joe Arpaio and they were going to do a walkout,” said Juan Feliz, a 16-year-old student at North High. “I had to support it because it’s my school and I’m Mexican as well, and everything that (Arpaio) did against immigration is wrong in so many types of ways.”

Daphne Cervantes, 17, one of the lead organizers of the protest, would not say whether the walkout was approved by school officials beforehand, but she was pleased with the participation in the event.

“We gathered a bunch of high school students who feel like their voice matters, that they can take a part in democracy in our system,” Cervantes said.

“He (Arpaio) is basically sending a message to the rest of the country that it’s OK to treat people like crap, it’s OK to treat them like they’re not human beings.”

3 p.m.: At ASU site, students savor their voice

There was a buzz at the new Tempe polling location at the Arizona State University Sun Devil Fitness Complex.

Students with “I Voted” stickers rushed out of the building on their way to class. Voters on campus seemed to have their eyes on the divisiveness of national elections, placing less of a focus on local elections.

George Master, an ASU senior, dropped off his early ballot at the site.

“I really like to study it out,” he said, explaining why he prefers early ballots.

Master said he voted for Donald Trump for president, Joe Arpaio for Maricopa County sheriff and Bill Montgomery for Maricopa County attorney.

1:50 p.m.: No lines? Some voters were hoping for them

There were no lines and wait times outside the polls at Michael Anderson Elementary in Avondale's Old Town neighborhood, but a steady stream of overwhelmingly Latino voters arrived Tuesday afternoon to cast their ballots.

Veronica Cabrera of Avondale said this was her first time ever voting, and did so for Hillary Clinton.

"I know a lot of Latinos don't go out and vote, but this time I thought 'it's important, maybe my one vote will make the difference," she said.

Julia Rodriguez said she was expecting some wait times and was actually a bit disappointed when she arrived at her polling place.

"Well I like to do the whole experience, I was actually hoping for a line, thinking like 'yeah, I waited for some many hours in line.' But you know this is much faster and quicker", she said. "But I like to feel like I'm part of it not just sending it through the mail."

Rodriguez said she came prepared with a sample ballot already filled out to make it easier and added that she voted for Clinton because this election felt a bit more personal.

"My parents are both Mexican immigrants who are now citizens and are actually voting today," she explained. "So I'm voting for them and for everybody else that are not able to do it." — Rafael Carranza

12:30 p.m. Voting with family

Christine and Tegan held the black marker together, the child's hand on her mom’s as Christine marked the ballot for Clinton.

Matt filled out his nearby, with Oliver watching.

“I think it’s so important for both of my children to participate in the process as soon as possible so they know how important it is,” she said. But at 37, she realized voting for a female presidential candidate for the first time was a historic moment. She wanted to share it with her daughter.

Breshae Bellamy said she was voting for Clinton. Bellamy is pregnant with her first child, a girl, due in February. “She’ll be best for the country,” she said of Clinton.

She was shocked by the way Trump spoke of people who are different than him, particularly minorities and women.

“I’m bringing a daughter into this world, I’m not sure that is the kind of president I want for my child,” she said.

11:50 a.m.: Recorder hopeful: 'This is why I ran'

Adrian Fontes, the Democratic candidate for Maricopa County recorder, stopped at the polling site at 51st Avenue and Osborn Road in Maryvale late Tuesday morning.

Fontes arrived in a car with white window paint that read “Elect Fontes” (which he parked outside the 75-foot perimeter that marks the area where electioneering is prohibited).

Staring at the line at the Church of the Nazarene, Fontes restated his campaign message calling for new leadership at the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office.

“This is exactly the reason why I ran," he said. "It proved yet again that we need a new county recorder. People have to go to work, it’s not fair to voters.”

Fontes said more voting sites, better training for poll workers and improved testing of electronic equipment is needed. — Laura Gomez

11:30 a.m.: 'My ancestors couldn't vote, but I can'

A white canopy covered a portion of the parking lot outside a community building on the reservation of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Volunteers ushered voters into the polls, and greeted them outside with a doughnut or burrito once they completed their ballots.

The volunteers' goal was as clear as the message on their T-shirts: "My ancestors couldn't vote, but I can."

Angela Salazar-Willeford and her team worked on the reservation for nearly a year to increase voter participation within the native community. Historically, Native American voter participation lags behind the national average.

MORE: Volunteers work to protect Native American voters' rights

Salazar-Willeford said many members of the native community don't believe their votes count and don't bother to vote. She said she is on a mission to change that mentality.

Lines formed at the polling location as early as 5:30 a.m., and remained out the door all morning, Salazar-Willeford said.

"I'm really excited to see so many people encouraged and ready to vote this year," she said.

Her team, which is a part of the national Native Vote movement, also provided election protection assistance at the polling location.

11:15 a.m.: In Pima County, an exit poll and a gun

Pima County Elections officials sent a troubleshooter to admonish a man carrying a gun and reportedly conducting an exit poll outside the Santa Cruz Methodist Church in Sahuarita, in southern Arizona.

The man was crossing inside the 75-foot line that protects poll sites from electioneering as he was doing his poll, the elections office said.

"It wasn't an issue of carrying a weapon," said the elections staffer who handled the hotline call. "It was where he was standing."

It is legal to carry your gun with you when you go to vote, but you can't take it into the polling booth, nor within the 75-foot buffer that prevents electioneering.

Secretary of State Michele Reagan, in guidance issued last week, suggested it would be best if voters and poll watchers left their weapons at home.

"Arizonans have a legal right to carry, but the presence of a firearm in the context of voting could potentially intimidate voters," she wrote. "For example, carrying a weapon despite being outside a polling place is one thing, but carrying a weapon because there is a polling place may cross the line. Additionally, any aggressive or ostentatious display of a weapon will almost certainly constitute an act of intimidation."

A poll watcher alerted Pima County Elections Office to the issue. —Mary Jo Pitzl

11 a.m.: The most interesting voting site in Phoenix

Dennis Burke was an election observer at the Salvation Army polling site in downtown Phoenix. He reports the site is swarming with foreign journalists who want to talk about voting.

“I was interviewed by people from Slovenia, Azerbaijan and Japan, all here to watch the fun,” he wrote.

Why this site? Well, it got a lot of notoriety back in March, when it was the last polling place in Maricopa County to close after hours of long lines that drew national, and international, attention.

Burke is working with the Arizona Advocacy Network at polls, looking to spot problems. — Mary Jo Pitzl

10:50 a.m.: Trying to vote, finding barriers

In Maryvale, Miguel Ángel López, 67, arrived at the Church of the Nazarene at 6 a.m. and waited in line for two hours.

With his U.S. passport, Arizona driver's license and Maricopa County voter identification card at hand, Lopez was turned away from voting twice because poll workers told him he was at the wrong polling place.

“They said I wasn't in the system, and to go to a church on Thomas (Road),” said López in Spanish to La Voz and azcentral reporter Laura Gomez-Rodriguez.

While waiting for his son in the parking lot of the Church of the Nazarene to pick him up, López said in Spanish he felt “a bit broken” by the experience.

“I feel a heartache, I feel like crying,” said López, who is from Guatemala and speaks very little English.

Abril Gallardo, 26, a poll observer with the Maricopa County Democratic Party, assisted López outside the polling site and confirmed he was at the right polling location.

Gallardo walked in with López to help translate, and help him understand why he was turned away. López was told again that he was not at the right polling location, and if he wanted to vote with a provisional ballot he had to get back in line.

“He wanted to cry, and I think he was scared. It's ugly that they did that to him,” said Gallardo.

Robert Dott, a certified poll observer with the Maricopa County Democratic Party, said the main problem at the location is that the machines used to check in voters were slow.

“It takes a long time to get a ballot,” said Dott. “And some people are not showing up in the system.”

10:15 a.m.: Stanton, Penzone greet Phoenix voters; Stanton says election fixes are needed

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton and Paul Penzone, the Democratic candidate for Maricopa County Sheriff, greeted voters outside Bible Baptist Church on North Seventh Street in Phoenix.

"It’s been a bad year for running elections in Maricopa County,” Stanton told the Republic's Madison Alder. “After this election cycle is done, we are going to have to make some significant changes so that way we can make voting as efficient as possible.”

Stanton said he and Penzone would be visiting voting locations across the city on Tuesday.

“We want to thank the voters,” Stanton said.

Penzone said, “I’m hopeful about making this about policing rather than politics. I want to thank them for voting. This is what democracy is about."

No one had voted at Bible Baptist until about 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, according to officials at the polls there.

Two precincts are located at the church. One was down completely and another was having difficulty because the electronic poll books, which allow workers to look up voter information, weren’t working, the poll workers said.

Lines snaked outside the building, but once election workers got the poll books working, the backlog disappeared.

“At 8:30 they were back on track,” said Bob Boyd, an inspector at the polling location.”

9:45 a.m.: Treasurer DeWit gives Trump supporters a bad time

State Treasurer Jeff DeWit is again confusing voters about the process.

In an email to Donald Trump supporters (DeWit is the chief operating officer of the Trump campaign), DeWit advises that polls are open until 9 p.m. They are not: They close at 7 p.m.

DeWit’s error was spotted by the Arizona Secretary of State’s office. In a tweet, spokesman Matt Roberts (@MattFlackAZ) said he is deeply concerned about DeWit’s misinformation.

It’s not the first time: During the March presidential preference election, DeWit told independent voters they could vote. But under state law, they cannot. This contributed to the confusion among independent voters, who showed up to vote and contributed to lines of two to three hours.

9:30 a.m.: Fewer lines in Scottsdale for 'most-watched' election

Voting machines issues that plagued other locations across metro Phoenix didn't appear to be a problem in Scottsdale, where lines were moving quickly and smoothly at polling locations east of Loop 101, the Republic's Ginger Rough reports.

At Cheyenne Traditional School in Scottsdale, there were no lines. Voters were able to cast their ballot within five minutes of arriving.

Allan Gartzman, 73, of Scottsdale, said he was born a "Chicago Democrat." But in this election, Trump got his vote.

He said the Democratic Party no longer stands for the same values.

"We were the working people," Gartzman said. "There were no handouts. Now she (Clinton) wants to give people everything for free."

But Gartzman didn't vote a straight GOP ticket. He quickly noted that Arizona's senior Republican Senator, John McCain, lost his support when he pulled his support from Trump.

"I didn't vote for either of them," Gartzman said of McCain and his Democratic opponent, Ann Kirkpatrick. " He (McCain) should have stuck with Trump. That was wrong."

9 a.m.: Long waits, but voters relieved to finally cast ballots

Voters began lining up at The Gathering Place church near Missouri Avenue and Seventh Street around 5:45 a.m.

Tom Hamilton, 66, of north-central Phoenix, waited in line for about 45 minutes before he could cast his vote. The wait was due in part to problems with the tablet that allows poll workers to confirm voter information before people can cast their votes. That computer, poll workers said, “went down.”

Hamilton, who is an independent voter, told Republic reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez he’s “proud to be an American,” but he’s glad this election cycle is almost over.

Of the presidential race, he said, “I hate ‘em both. But I felt four years of Trump has to be better than one day of Clinton.”

Hamilton, who is self-employed, said he voted for Trump in part because he thinks Clinton “will say or do anything for power, and even though I don’t like Trump at all, I think his lack of experience in government would be better for us than Clinton’s awful experience in government — and I don’t want ‘Billary.’”

Hamilton said he voted for U.S. Sen. John McCain, because he has proven to be a stabilizing force.

He struggled with Prop. 205, which asks voters to make marijuana legal. In the end, he voted for it because he thinks it’s safer than alcohol.

“Nobody dies because of marijuana,” he said, adding that thousands of people do die of alcohol. “If you’re going to have alcohol, marijuana is a better choice.”

8:45 a.m.: Still some long lines and glitches, but not everywhere

In downtown Phoenix Tuesday morning, a line stretched close to the 75-foot limit near Fillmore Street and Third Avenue, La Voz and azcentral reporter Laura Gomez-Rodriguez reports.

Scott Brubaker was near the entrance of the Salvation Army building, and had been waiting in line for about an hour.

"This is absurd," said Brubaker. "After the primary fiasco this should've been fixed. It’s exasperating, really unbelievable."

(The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com are participating in Electionland, a ProPublica project that will cover access to the ballot and problems that prevent people from exercising their right to vote during the 2016 election.)

Tempe residents at 7 a.m. were reporting voting machines were down at several locations, causing delays, Republic reporter Alia Beard Rau reports. Tablets being used were freezing up. At one point, according to voters, none of the machines were working at the Tempe Church of Christ location.

8:30 a.m.: County hopes to keep wait times to within 30 minutes

Voters were reporting lines of half an hour or more to cast ballots at some locations around Maricopa County Tuesday, but if the wait time didn’t exceed 30 minutes, it’s within the margin promised by the county Recorder’s Office in a plan finalized last month.

The recorder’s office devised a wait-time reduction plan to help settle a lawsuit filed by the Democratic National Committee and other groups after waiting times that stretched as long as five hours during the presidential preference election March.

The county had reduced the number polling locations for that election, from about 200 in 2012 to just 60 this year. For Tuesday’s election, the county opened its full slate of 724 polling locations.

To help settle the lawsuit, the county presented a plan it said would reduce waiting times to 30 minutes or less for all but about 1 percent of voters.

7:25 a.m.: Voters find long lines, balky computers

As polling locations opened across Maricopa County Tuesday morning, long lines of voters were already waiting to cast ballots. More then 100 people were waiting as the doors opened at Hermosa Vista Elementary in north-central Mesa and similar numbers were reported at sites elsewhere. On Twitter, people reported waits of 20 minutes or more from the start.

Within the first hour, there were also reports of problems with the computers and tablets used in the voting process, both to verify voter information and to accept completed ballots. Reports of such issues came from various locations, including Goodyear, Laveen, north-central Phoenix, downtown Phoenix, west Phoenix, Glendale and Tempe.

Some voters said their attempts to contact the Maricopa County Recorder's Office were met with recordings or full voice-mail boxes.

The Maricopa County Recorder's Office has posted 120 troubleshooters around the county. Each one is assigned to five or six polling locations, tasked with solving machine problems on-site.

MORE: 7,000 ballots in Maricopa County have signature issue

Valentino Zertuche said he and his wife, Ashley, are voting in their second presidential election at Cheatham School, 4725 W. South Mountain Ave. “I don’t trust the mail-in,” he said.

Jarrett Schneider said he typically submits a mail-in ballot but he and his wife had just moved to the area, so going to the actual polling location was more convenient for them this time.

At Central High School in Phoenix, azcentral's Julia Thompson got in line to vote at 6:08 a.m. and checked in to vote at 7:21. The line was not much farther back than the 75-feet sign marker, Thompson reported, but check-in was moving slowly, with just two sign-in stations and some poll workers focused on getting out-of-precinct voters provisional ballots.

7:15 a.m.: Federal monitors will watch for issues at some sites

As Arizonans cast their ballots in Maricopa County today, federal monitors will be stationed inside certain polling places looking to prevent voter intimidation and to ensure fairness in an election that has drawn concerns over the potential for violence, fraud and cheating.

Elizabeth Bartholomew, of the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office, told The Arizona Republic late Monday that the team of U.S. Department of Justice election monitors will be inside Maricopa County polling places throughout Election Day.

She said 20 Department of Justice observers would be in Maricopa County. They would circulate throughout different polling places.

“As long as they show their DOJ badge to the pollworkers, they will be welcomed in that polling place,” she said.

Early Monday, Department of Justice officials announced that its Civil Rights Division would deploy more than 500 monitors and observers to 67 jurisdictions in 28 states, including in Arizona’s Maricopa and Navajo counties. But department officials declined to say whether those observers would be stationed inside the polling places, how many would be deployed and which polling sites would be monitored.

Bartholomew said that Maricopa County Election officials met with three U.S. Department of Justice officials Monday. The federal officials, she said, questioned the county on a series of voting rights issues, ranging from accessibility for voters with disabilities to language resources for people who speak other dialects such as Spanish.

“One of the questions brought up today was whether we had Native American language translators,” she said.

In Arizona, there are 22 tribes, each with its own languages. The state is home to the third largest population of people who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

MORE: Maricopa County leaves Sheriff Joe Arpaio in charge of voter protection

6 a.m.: Polls open across the nation

Polls opened in several states on the East Coast early Tuesday, including at 5 a.m. in Vermont and 6 a.m. in New York. Polls in Arizona open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Check the Secretary of State's Office website for your polling place.

If you voted early, you can check the status of your ballot here. If you received an early-voting ballot, but did not mail it in on time, you can still drop it off at any polling location today, at the Maricopa County Recorder's office, until 7 p.m. tonight. The ballot needs to be in the envelope that came with it.

And if you have questions about today's voting, azcentral's reporters have compiled a handy list of answers here.