Are Maricopa County schools really refusing to be polling sites for the general election? 5 questions answered

Are Maricopa County school districts really refusing to open schools as polling sites?

Yes, at least for now in the case of the Mesa School District, the state's largest public school district.

Why has the Mesa school district pulled out of participating in the 2024 general election? 

Assistant Superintendent Scott Thompson told the Washington Post that during the 2023 elections, "Voters confused school staff for election workers and harangued them. Some accused school staff of 'disenfranchising voters' for hosting secure ballot drop boxes." This he stated led to an unsavory atmosphere that few want to go through again.

Can Arizona schools opt out of becoming polling stations during the general election?

In at least 33 states, the law says public buildings, including schools, can or should be made available as polling locations. In Arizona, schools can opt out of elections if principals say they don’t have enough space or if the safety of students is at risk.

“It just takes one flash point to ignite something that’s catastrophic and I absolutely don’t want that to happen on any one of my campuses," Scott Menzel, superintendent of the Scottsdale school district, told the Washington Post.

How does Maricopa County plan to deal with this loss of polling venues?

Maricopa County has had to find replacements. Officials have now budgeted nearly $1 million to lease voting locations this year, up from $53,000 in 2016. In 2016, 37 percent of county polling locations were schools, according to a Washington Post analysis of data obtained through a public records request. So far this year, it’s 14 percent.

How many schools have pulled out of being polling sites? 

In 2016, schools made up 239 of Maricopa county’s 644 polling locations during the general election, according to the Washington Post. This year for the July 30 primary, just 31 of 221 polling locations were schools.