Phoenix (AZ Family) — If you haven’t voted yet, you still have a few days to vote, but some people are having trouble getting to the polls in Maricopa County.
Among them is 21-year-old Yeshua Loya. He lives at Plaza Healthcare, a skilled nursing facility in Scottsdale. Two years ago, Loya was involved in a car accident on Beeline Highway. He broke his neck and is currently in a wheelchair, but says his recovery will be difficult.
But this has been a monumental week for Loya. This was because Mr. Loya was exercising his right to vote for the first time. He received support from the Maricopa County Special Elections Commission.
“I could have gone to the polling station, but the current situation makes it very difficult to organize transportation,” Loya said. “That’s not ideal.”
Maricopa County Elections Department Special Election Board (SEB). These are bipartisan teams of two, including Republicans and Democrats, who deploy to homes, nursing homes, hospitals and other locations to help voters fill out ballots. These are voters who have disabilities or illnesses that prevent them from leaving their homes.
Monica Murray is a supervisor at SEB. According to her, in 2020 SEB received 80 votes. This election cycle there are more than 1,000. She believes word of mouth has led to the increase in help.
SEB election officials undergo background checks. Murray said he has two teams of 24 people each and accepts 10 to 15 ballots a day. They have traveled up to 13,900 miles this election cycle.
SEBs can help read and score ballots, but cannot influence voters’ choices.
“We always act as a bipartisan team,” Murray said. “Once a ballot is assigned to a team, it cannot be separated into teams. Teams are beneficial. We sometimes get the question, ‘How do I vote?’ said interim elections official Michael Brazier.
“‘Who is this person?’ and we have to politely tell them that we can’t give any interpretation or definition because we don’t want to influence their vote. So we have to You have to read it word for word and that’s exactly how we do it. We don’t offer any interpretations,” he added.
Mr. Brazier is a member of SEB, which was founded in 2022. For him, it was a way to give back and he says it was an incredibly rewarding experience.
“You’re helping people who are very appreciative and grateful for what you’re doing to help them exercise their right to vote,” Brazier said. “You leave with such a great feeling after helping them. We’ve helped people over 100 years old.”
About 140 people live in the same facility as Loya. Jessica Rivera, director of business development for Plaza Healthcare, said that with SEB’s help, about 13 residents were able to register and vote.
For Loya, the experience was simple. “They held up papers so I could see them because I couldn’t hold up a paper myself or hold a pen, and I could tell them what I wanted to vote for. ” he said. “I didn’t know something like this existed for people like me. It’s been a huge help.”
If you or someone you know needs help, SEB will be active through Election Day. Murray warns that they will be busy and will be working on a first-come, first-served basis.
To sign up, call (602) 506-1511 or email SEB@risc.maricopa.gov. The county suggests including the voter’s name, address, date of birth, last four digits of Social Security number, and phone number.
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