Article shared by Cathy L. Stewart on October 01, 2024 at 11:39 AM

Originally published September 16, 2024 by the Daily Independent

An election worker removes tabulated ballots from the machine inside the Maricopa County Recorders Office, Nov. 10, 2022, in Phoenix. A survey of voters out Monday found they want more participation in primaries and believe partisanship is a major issue.(AP Photo/Matt York, File)

A new survey of Arizona voters’ attitudes shows the electorate is concerned about partisanship in elections, but many are committed to having more access to voting.

The results are part of an ongoing series of surveys from the Center for the Future of Arizona, which released the new data on Monday.

“Elections are critical to ensuring that Arizonans’ voices are heard and represented in the governance of our state,” said Dr. Sybil Francis, Chair, President & CEO of CFA. “Arizona’s likely voters are clearly expressing deep concern about the state of our democracy, but they remain energized and determined to participate in creating positive change. The data also show that voters support actions to strengthen election processes, like equal access to voting regardless of party affiliation and ensuring leaders represent a broader base of the electorate.”

The survey, conducted in collaboration with Highground Inc., found 96% support — and 87% strong support — for equal access to voting whether they were Democrats, Republicans, independents or registered with other parties.

Voters also said, with 77% total support and 51% strong support, that partisan primaries fuel a lot of partisanship and rewards the most extreme examples from all parties.

That support would back Proposition 140, which seeks to open primaries and have all candidates running early with at least the top vote getters advancing to the general regardless of party affiliation. That could mean, for example, two Democrats or two Republicans running in the general election for the same seat.

CFA plans to release more surveys this week and going into next week about voters’ attitudes on water and the environment, education, and taxes and spending. The surveys were conducted Aug. 5-13 of likely voters, and each survey questioned 500 voters in live interviews to landline and cell phones. Based on previous elections, the poll was set at plus 4% for Republicans, and the margin of error was 4.3%.