• Slug: Ballot Measures Roundup. 1,050 words.
• Photo available.

By Hayden Larkin
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Arizona voters have been swarmed with a plethora of ballot measures. The two most controversial proposals got the lion’s share of attention: Proposition 314, to expand immigration enforcement, and Proposition 139, to codify abortion rights in the state constitution.

But the other 11 proposals would also impact the people of Arizona. Here’s a breakdown of what voters are weighing in on:

Continue reading “Arizona statewide ballot measures 2024 guide: Voters decide on 13 propositions”

• Slug: U.S. Senate. 1,090 words.
• Photo available.

By Phineas Hogan
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – In a showdown between MAGA and Democrats, Arizona voters faced a choice Tuesday between Donald Trump-backed Kari Lake and Phoenix Congressman Ruben Gallego for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.

The race is one of a handful of tossups nationwide that will determine control of the Senate.

Continue reading “Senate fight between Ruben Gallego and Trump ally Kari Lake tests MAGA appeal against Democrats’ growing hold on Arizona”

• Slug: Prop. 314. 1,470 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Mia Osmonbekov and Kelechukwu Iruoma
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – One of the most closely watched fights in Arizona on Election Day is over a ballot measure giving state and local police the power to arrest undocumented immigrants – the latest volley in a decades-long effort by conservatives dissatisfied with federal enforcement.

Critics have warned that Proposition 314 would lead to racial profiling and harassment of migrants and U.S. citizens alike. Many have viewed it as an attempt to revive the controversial 2010 Arizona law known as Senate Bill 1070, which was largely struck down in court.

Continue reading “Proposition 314 would let police in Arizona arrest undocumented immigrants, stoking fears of racial profiling”

• Slug: Prop. 139. 1,070 words.
• Photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Amelia Monroe and Macy Markham
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – A battle over abortion rights in Arizona came to a head Tuesday. Proposition 139 would codify the right to abortion through fetal viability – roughly nine weeks beyond the state’s current 15-week ban.

Opponents call it radical. Backers say the 15-week ban endangers women with complications later in pregnancy and have demanded a return to the more expansive rights ensured for decades by the U.S. Supreme Court.

By midnight, with half of Arizona’s votes counted, the yes votes held a healthy lead.

Continue reading “Arizona abortion initiative Proposition 139 mobilizes advocates, highlights tension over reproductive rights”

• Slug: Arizona Presidential. 1,200 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Grace Monos and Gabrielle Wallace
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Four years ago, just over 10,000 votes separated the winner and loser in Arizona’s presidential race. The state is one of seven battlegrounds destined to decide the outcome in 2024, too.

Polls remained tight until the end between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

By 12:30 a.m. MST Wednesday, Trump led Harris 267 to 214 in the electoral count on the quest to 270 with all but two of the swing states called in Trump’s favor by the Associated Press. Some major television networks called the race in favor of Trump, and he declared victory to a room full of supporters at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

Arizona had not yet been called, and the margin between the two candidates in the state remained razor thin with about half the state’s votes counted.

Continue reading “Arizona’s 2024 presidential election: Harris and Trump battled for crucial swing state”

• Slug: U.S. House Arizona. 650 words.
• File photo available.

By Madeline Nguyen and Miguel Ambriz
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Two of the nation’s most competitive congressional races are in Arizona, with Democrats trying to unseat seven-term Rep. David Schweikert of Fountain Hills and first-term Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Tucson.

The contests were among the Democrats’ best opportunities to pick up seats in their bid to flip control of the House, where Republicans have held a razor-thin majority.

Continue reading “Arizona Reps. Juan Ciscomani and David Schweikert fight to keep U.S. House seats against Democrats Kirsten Engel and Amish Shah”

• Slug: Indigenous Voters. 2,130 words.
• Photos available.

By Brianna Chappie
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Many Native Americans have long felt like politicians overlook them, but both parties are seeking Native Americans’ votes more than ever before – and they could hold the key to the outcome of the presidential election.

Continue reading “‘Native voters can and will decide this election’: Parties fight to secure Native American votes”

• Slug: Maricopa County Elections. 490 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Keller Brown

PHOENIX – Voters have many questions about the 2024 general election. Whether or not their early ballot will be counted in time to questions on security at voting centers, Maricopa County is preparing for all of it.

Around 55% of total ballots will drop immediately after 8 p.m. on election night, which is on par with previous elections in Maricopa County. For those who participated in early voting wondering when their ballot will be reported, around 75% of returns from early ballots will be available after 8 p.m.

Continue reading “Maricopa County working around the clock to make sure Election Day goes smoothly”

• Slug: Prop. 314 Border Photos. 470 words.
• 6 photos available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Gabriel Garza
Cronkite News

NOGALES, AZ – Working directly at Arizona’s border, Nogales Mayor Jorge Maldonado believes local police should not have to deal with immigration.

“If they want to fund me for resources, might as well give it to people who do that job,” he said. “Ours are not trained to do immigration.”

In a meeting with Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication students, Maldonado expressed his opposition to Arizona Proposition 314, which would authorize local law enforcement, under “probable cause,” to detain and deport individuals entering the state outside lawful ports of entry.

Continue reading “Prop. 314: Arizonans at odds over authorizing local police to tackle immigration”

• Slug: LGBTQ Students Politics. 1,225 words.
• File photo available.

By Aaron Stigile
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – When Avery changed their name, it was a moment their life changed for the better. Their mom told them to hop on a surprise Zoom call, and Avery joined to an interesting sight.

“I saw the guy in the robes and with a gavel, and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is probably a thing that involves me,’” said Avery, who is a transgender nonbinary high school student in Arizona.

The judge proceeded to change their name.

Continue reading “Arizona LGBTQIA+ high school, college students say their ‘lives could change’ with presidential election”

• Slug: Phoenix Mayor Crime. 800 words.
• Photos available (thumbnails, captions below).
• Graphic available here.

By Aaron Stigile
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Statistics say violent crime in Phoenix is not dramatically increasing, and it has actually decreased over a multiyear time span, with some monthly dips and jumps.

Nationwide trends are somewhat similar; data from the FBI released in June showed that reported violent crime decreased nationwide by 15.2% from January to March in comparison to the same time period in 2023.

Continue reading “Phoenix mayoral candidates Kate Gallego, Matt Evans tout crime approaches as election nears”

• Slug: Cochise County. 530 words.
• File photo (thumbnail, caption below).

By Owen Alfonso
Special for Cronkite News

BISBEE – Though the presidential and congressional races will be a priority for many Arizonans come November, Cochise County residents will also vote on local offices, including the Board of Supervisors.

Arizona’s most southeastern county, sharing borders with New Mexico and Sonora, Mexico, is home to roughly 125,000 Arizonans in rural towns like Tombstone, Sierra Vista, Douglas and Naco.

Continue reading “All 3 Cochise County Board of Supervisors seats are on Nov. 5 ballot”

• Slug: Halloween Dementia. 450 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Lizeth Adriana Calderon
Special for Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Halloween is a fun, spooky holiday for many, but for those living with dementia, it can be frightening. Halloween can cause sensory overload and disrupt the routine for people with dementia, said Shannon Lindemer, senior psychometrist with public health program Nosotros Comprometidos a Su Salud.

Sensory overload happens when the brain gets overwhelmed by too much information from the five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch and sound.

Continue reading “Halloween can be fun for some but challenging for others, especially those with dementia”

• Slug: Election Misinformation. 550 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Jamie Montoya
Special for Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Maricopa County is ramping up transparency and education efforts in response to growing election skepticism.

Maricopa County is the nation’s second-largest voting jurisdiction and represents more than 60% of Arizona voters.

Continue reading “Maricopa County boosts transparency to counter misinformation ahead of 2024 election”

• Slug: Ballot Initiative Language. 550 words.
• Photo available.

By Sona Gevorgyan
Special for Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Ballot initiatives allow citizens to vote on new laws. As a result, voters have a direct say in how the government operates.

In Arizona, voters will have a say on key issues like abortion access, immigration and the state minimum wage through the 13 propositions on their ballots. Research has shown ballot wording impacts voters’ decisions.

According to a 2019 study published in the journal Electoral Studies, simple ballot language can lead to an incomplete representation of initiatives.

Continue reading “Plain language for ballot initiatives: Why it matters”

• Slug: Counting Ballots. 560 words.
• File photo (thumbnail, caption below).

By Eddie McCoven
Special for Cronkite News

PHOENIX – With more than 2.4 million registered voters in Maricopa County and the increasing number of allegations around election integrity, counting ballots for the 2024 presidential election is no easy task.

Maricopa County Deputy Elections Director Jennifer Liewer said the county goes to “extensive lengths” to make sure all legal votes are counted.

“Our systems, our personnel, our workers are all trained to ensure that we do not disenfranchise voters,” Liewer said. “We want you to know that if you are a legally registered voter in Maricopa County, that your ballot will be cast.”

Continue reading “How Maricopa County counts millions of ballots”

• Slug: Orphaned Wells. 965 words.
• Photo, map available (thumbnails, captions below).

By Gabrielle Wallace
Cronkite News

WASHINGTON – Many oil and gas wells across Arizona with no known owners leak methane into the environment, which tribal, state and federal agencies are responsible for cleaning up.

These wells – referred to as “orphaned” – are often not properly maintained and can lead to surface and groundwater contamination causing pollution, health issues and threats to wildlife.

Continue reading “Well, well, well: Taxpayers pay the price for oil and gas wells leaking methane as multiple entities work to plug them”

• Slug: AHCCCS Funding. 550 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).
• Voiceover available.

By Lizeth Adriana Calderon
Cronkite News

PHOENIX – Roughly a fifth of expecting and new mothers in Arizona receive little to no prenatal care, which can lead to poor health outcomes for mothers and their children, according to the March of Dimes report from last year.

Overall the health of mothers and infants in the U.S. is on decline, partially because more than a third of Americans live in maternal care deserts, according to the subsequent March of Dimes report. A maternity care desert is an area where access to reproductive health care is limited or women face other obstacles in their ability to access care.

Continue reading “On-call maternity care in rural Arizona boosted by AHCCCS funding”

• Slug: Religious Poll Watchers. 590 words.
• File photo available (thumbnail, caption below).

By Tony Gutiérrez
Special for Cronkite News

Following reports of armed “poll watchers” at Arizona polling places during the last several election cycles, two groups have launched initiatives inviting people of faith to help promote peace at the polls.

Faiths United to Save Democracy is actively recruiting “poll chaplains” to serve at various poll locations, while the Arizona Faith Network, in partnership with Election Protection Arizona, is inviting people of faith to be “peacekeepers.” Medina Moore, voting rights organizer for the Arizona Faith Network, said both groups support each other in their missions.

Continue reading “Religious groups recruit volunteers to provide peaceful presence at Arizona polls”