The Arizona Republic reports the number of registered voters in Arizona rose 470,000, or 21 percent, since elections in 2000. Experts believe three-fourths of those registered might vote in Tuesday’s election. In 2002, only 55 percent went to the polls in Maricopa County.

Due to the record voter turn-out and highly contested races, Maricopa County Elections Director Karen Osborne said the Valley’s vote tabulation for 2004 probably will not be completed until 10 days after the election, and close races are likely to remain undecided for just as long [full article]. The reason:

Vote counters anticipate more than 50,000 provisional, or challenged, ballots that must be individually scrutinized to determine whether they are legitimate. In addition, authorities expect more than 85,000 “early” ballots to arrive Tuesday, and those cannot be scanned until after the regular votes are counted.

In other news, the Arizona Democratic Party remains upset “about a Friday automated telephone call to voters they claim inappropriately blamed them for a series of vandalism acts against state Republican Party facilities.” State Democratic Party Chairman Jim Pederson asserted, “The Republican Party obviously has no campaign left to run in Arizona other than one of fear and dirty tricks.”

Cross Posted at bLogicus