Arizona Republic: Here's what Arizonans want from their elections
Arizonans are clear on what they want from elections - accuracy, trust and transparency and continued mail-in options. Quick results can wait.
Our future is shaped by election outcomes. So, it’s not surprising that a heated debate is underway around how elections are designed and run. There’s a lot of jockeying at the national and state levels about what the 2026 elections will look like — whether voting by mail continues, how voter ID requirements are structured, how quickly results are reported and more. These hot topics are debated among policymakers and in the media, but one important voice is often missing: the people of Arizona. What if we stepped back from political rhetoric and asked the question: What defines a successful election in the eyes of Arizonans?
At the Center for the Future of Arizona, surveying Arizonans is one of the things we do. For more than two decades we’ve asked Arizonans their thoughts on issues critically important to Arizona’s future including education, health care, immigration and the environment. We are nonpartisan and don’t focus on division but on where we find common ground.
Our most recent survey explores what Arizonans believe a good election should deliver regardless of party, candidate or outcome.
How elections fit in a healthy democracy
We started with a very basic question. Where do Arizonans rank fair and secure elections in importance to a healthy democracy? The results should make civics teachers everywhere proud: 97% of Arizonans believe that fair and secure elections are essential to a healthy democracy. This is the highest level of agreement we have seen in two decades of public opinion research. It was also encouraging to learn that 79% of Arizonans believe their vote makes a difference.
What do Arizonans consider to be the core principles of a good election? Among nine principles we asked about, three are clear priorities: accuracy, trustworthiness and transparency. Other priorities include voter access, fiscal responsibility, voter participation, preserving multiple ways to vote and the safety of voters and election workers.
Only one principle fell below 50% support: speed of reporting results. Speed is important to voters, but it is not driving everyday Arizonans in their assessment of what makes a good election.
We also learned that Arizonans want to preserve the option of voting early by mail. In 2024, 81% of Arizona ballots were cast using returned mail-in ballots. Interestingly, 81% of Arizonans want to keep that option going forward. Arizonans like their mail-in ballots!
On a related point, nearly 7 in 10 Arizonans prefer preserving their option to drop off their early ballot up to and on election day even if it means election results take longer to report. Based on data compiled by the Arizona Secretary of State, approximately 8% of ballots cast in the 2024 election were mail-in ballots dropped off in-person on election day. Arizonans clearly understand that ensuring access and accuracy can mean it takes longer to learn election outcomes.
How are elections designed and run?
Misreading voter priorities risks solving the wrong problem. If we assume voters want faster election results, but the proposed solution steps on other principles of greater priority such as voter access or convenience, how does that make any sense? Or if we know that voters like to have a variety of options for casting their vote, including voting by mail, what will eliminating that option accomplish except to fly in the face of voter preferences?
Understanding the viewpoint of Arizonans is essential as we consider these questions. Voter education also plays a critical role. Helping people better understand how elections are run and what shapes their experience builds confidence more than solving the wrong problem.
In the coming months, this work will continue through public events led by the Arizona State University Mechanics of Democracy Lab, bringing Arizonans together to explore what these findings mean in practice.
Listening to Arizonans and understanding their priorities doesn’t end debate but informs it. As changes to elections are considered, we should ask whether they align with what voters say are hallmarks of a good election. Arizonans know what matters to them, and that should matter to everyone.
Sybil Francis, Ph.D., is chair, president & CEO of Center for the Future of Arizona, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that brings Arizonans together to create a stronger and brighter future for our state.