Primer on Primaries

A Call to Action

At NAIOP Arizona, we wholeheartedly embrace our duty to make our members aware of the importance of voting. Throughout the legislative session, and especially during the election season, we actively work to educate our membership on important issues and use feedback to best represent our members' interests.  We ask for your support in making your voice heard on the candidates you feel best represent our home state of Arizona.

The August 2 primary is the first election based on new districts drawn once every ten years, using data from the most recent (2020) Census. In several races, these new districts place incumbents from the same party that used to be in different districts in the same district, competing against each other.

A “competitive district” is defined as one in which voter registration between Democrats and Republicans is close enough that either one could win. On the new maps, just 5 of the 30 legislative districts are considered competitive in the general election. This means for the other 25 districts their outcomes will be effectively decided in the primary election, which makes your participation in this primary so important. 

Voting trends and choices have been in the news a lot lately. Do you go to your polling place? Or do you vote by mail? Consider this: around 80 percent of Arizona residents vote by mail or drop off early ballots on election day. Although vote by mail ballots were distributed on July 6, registered voters can still request them until July 22.

If you do not request a ballot by this date, you may go to the polls on election day or any in-person early voting station and make your selections there.
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Arizona has an open primary system, making it of utmost importance for people to get out and vote. An interesting fact: 34.4 percent of all registered voters in Arizona are independents or otherwise not affiliated with either major party. These voters can choose to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary by requesting an early ballot through the Maricopa County Recorder’s* office or at the polls on Election Day.

​This primary election will largely determine how well the Legislature will function. Historically, voter turnout during the primaries tends to be low, with only a 36.4 percent turnout rate in 2020. A large percentage of those who do vote in the primaries tend to hold more extreme views.

This is why it is essential for more people to vote in the primaries – to choose candidates that focus on important issues for our state and solve real problems and avoid extreme ideological or single-issue candidates looking to fight rather than work for the betterment of their constituents.

NAIOP is actively involved in the primary election by supporting thoughtful and business friendly candidates through our PAC and through independent expenditures for the benefit of our members.

*Voters outside of Maricopa County can use the Secretary of State’s website. ​