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How to "opt out" of receiving political ads
Just kidding—we wish that was possible. But now that we have your attention...
With Election Day just weeks away, political campaigns are flooding the internet, airwaves and even good ol’ fashioned mailboxes. If you’re trying to escape them – especially if you live in a swing state – we have two words for you: good luck.
An estimated $7 billion dollars will be spent on ads throughout the 2020 election cycle, and with all eyes on Arizona, Phoenix is considered one of the hottest advertising markets for the presidential race. From April to August alone, advertisers spent nearly $14 million in Phoenix—and that’s just the Biden and Trump campaigns. Factor in congressional, state and local races and it’s no wonder you can’t even enjoy videos of dogs doing human-like things on YouTube without getting hit with one political ad after another.
As far as the presidential races go, the fact that major dollars are being spent in Arizona is further recognition of our status as a battleground state. Things are only going to get more and more heated until Nov. 3. That’s in 32 days—not that anyone is counting.
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Forecasters predicting triple-digit heat followed by a "Blue Wave"
By now, you’ve probably heard about the “blue wave” that political pundits are speculating in Arizona—and the “what-if” scenarios in the event that Democrats flip one or both chambers at the Arizona State Legislature. If you’re wondering what that means, or why it matters, here’s a quick rundown:
Currently, Republicans control both chambers of the state Legislature. As it stands, it’s a 17-13 split in the Senate and a 31-29 split in the House. Those ratios are critically important because it takes 16 and 31 votes in the Senate and House, respectively, to pass legislation. Further, the party that holds the majority has control over leadership positions, committee makeups, hearing schedules and other key aspects of the lawmaking process.
Democrats only need to flip two seats to win the state House and three to win the Senate—and, according to recent polls, there’s a very real chance that could happen this year. While Republicans are fighting hard to maintain control (and outnumber registered Democrats by nearly 100,000 statewide), Democrats have made significant voter registration gains in a handful of districts in which Republicans held double-digit voter registration leads in 2012.
These are the ones to watch:
- LD 4 – Western Arizona
- LD 6 – Northern Arizona
- LD 11 – Southern Arizona (Marana, north Tucson)
- LD 17 – Southeast Valley (Chandler, Gilbert)
- LD 20 – West Valley (Glendale)
- LD 21 – West Valley (Peoria, Sun City)
- LD 28 – North Phoenix (Biltmore area, Arcadia, Sunnyslope, Paradise Valley)
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Vote by mail: it's the Arizona way
Early ballots drop next Wednesday, Oct. 7—yep, that whole “vote by mail” thing happens here in Arizona, too. Voting by mail has become such a polarized issue, but the reality is that Arizona has been doing it this way for years. In fact, the vast majority of Arizonans now vote by mail instead of at the polls. For the 2018 midterm elections, 78% of Arizona voters voted by mail; that percentage was 88% for the primaries this past August.
PSA: To even request a ballot by mail you have to be a registered voter in Arizona. Arizona residents have until Monday, Oct. 5, to register online, by mail or in person. Any registered voter in Arizona can request a ballot by mail. Voters can request a ballot by signing up for the Permanent Early Voter List (PEVL) or requesting a one-time ballot.
Elections officials recommend mailing ballots by Oct. 27 to ensure they arrive by Nov. 3—that’s essentially 20 days to research candidates and issues, mark the ballot and drop it in the mail in time to be counted. You might be thinking, “20 days? My free Hulu trial lasts longer than that.” Don’t worry, we’ve got you. We’ll be sending out a few election-specific issues of The Navigator over the next few weeks, in which we’ll provide a more in-depth overview of the key races and issues you’ll be asked to consider on your Arizona ballot.
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