Stuck filling out your ballot? How to vote confidently in key Arizona races

Arizona’s 2022 election is filled with stark choices.

What if you’re in the middle and unsure who to choose?

The Arizona Republic’s editorial board and staff columnists have broken down the issues, personalities and politics driving the state’s most pivotal races. Candidates and other community voices also have written about their campaigns.

Below are recaps of key election opinions, with links to the full text, to help you make an informed vote in the Nov. 8 election.

Why should I vote?

• Editorial: Democracy dies when we believe our vote can be stolen. Don’t give into those lies, especially given the election safeguards Arizona has in place.

• Sybil Francis, opinion contributor: Polling shows most Arizonans trust our elections. And that’s just one issue on which voters agree.

Governor

• Editorial: Kari Lake and Katie Hobbs reflect a major shift in U.S. politics. No wonder the 2022 Arizona governor’s race has national implications.

• Quiz: Choose the issues that are most important to you, answer a few questions and we’ll show you which candidate most closely aligns with where you stand.

• Phil Boas, columnist: After a disastrous Latino forum and national press for her opponent, Katie Hobbs is quickly losing momentum to Kari Lake.

• Greg Moore, columnist: Katie Hobbs can win. But she and other Democrats must do more than simply oppose Donald Trump.

U.S. Senate

• Editorial: Many polls had written off Blake Masters, but a recent surge fueled by economic anger has narrowed the U.S. Senate contest with Mark Kelly.

• Quiz: Find out how closely incumbent Mark Kelly and challenger Blake Masters match where you stand on important issues.

U.S. House, District 2

• Republican challenger Eli Crane: Democrats know they cannot run on policy, so they have gone all-in on demonizing political opposition. Voters won’t buy it in November.

• Democrat incumbent Tom O'Halleran: No issue is as pressing for Arizona’s future as water. We need bipartisan leaders in Congress to assure our supply.

Secretary of state

• Editorial: Expand voting access or pare it back. That’s the bottom line in a race between Mark Finchem and Adrian Fontes that has no middle ground.

Attorney general

• Editorial: Undecided voters may be best served by gauging what the candidates would do in office. Their fundamental differences on abortion and elections point the way.

• Republican Abe Hamadeh: Arizona’s next attorney general must be willing to sue the federal government for their immigration enforcement dereliction. I will.

• Democrat Kris Mayes: Arizona is giving away its groundwater for nothing to one of the richest nations on Earth. As attorney general, I’ll work to end it.

Corporation Commission

• Democrats Lauren Kuby and Sandra Kennedy: Arizona should invest in clean energy. It creates high-wage jobs while conserving our most precious natural resource: water.

• Republicans Nick Myers and Kevin Thompson: Battery storage for solar and wind energy is still in its infancy. Ratepayers benefit most from reliable and cheap energy.

Schools superintendent

• Editorial: Look ahead or to the past for solutions to Arizona's education challenges? That's the key question in the race between incumbent Kathy Hoffman and challenger Tom Horne.

• Greg Moore, columnist: Tom Horne is making a monstrous mistake in staking his campaign on critical race theory.

Arizona House, District 4

• Republican Matt Gress: Arizona should give teachers a $10,000 pay raise – and follow a plan to ensure they actually get it this time.

• Democrat Laura Terech: Choice is the most pressing issue lawmakers must address in the coming session. Women cannot be relegated to second-class citizens.

Propositions

• Editorial, Propositions 128, 129 and 132: Lawmakers referred these measures, but they won’t fix problems with the ballot initiative process as they claim. Vote no.

• For Propositions 128, 129 and 132: Out-of-state special interests control Arizona’s initiative process. These measures would put the power back in your hands.

• Against Propositions 128, 129 and 132: Arizona’s rich and powerful are threatened by the power of direct democracy. That’s why they want to pare it back.

• For Proposition 209: I suffered for years trying to pay off debt from a medical emergency. This measure could help protect others.

• Against Proposition 209: Supporters claim the measure addresses a medical debt crisis. Except few in Arizona have medical debt, and what they owe is small.

• For Proposition 211: The “Voter’s Right To Know Act” shines a needed light on political spending. Every voter deserves the right to know who spent to influence our vote.

• Against Proposition 211: The measure hypocritically shelters a favored group of donors, while setting others up for harassment and intimidation.

• Editorial, Proposition 308: Voters have the opportunity to right a wrong, restoring in-state tuition eligibility to “Dreamer” students. They should vote “yes.”

• For Proposition 308: The measure would keep talent in Arizona, but it’s also an opportunity to show who we are now: Inclusive, humane and smart.

• Against Proposition 308: This initiative sends a mixed message about illegal immigration and could even make the problem worse.

• For Proposition 310: Fire districts, which respond to emergencies outside metro areas, need a temporary sales tax to keep pace with an onslaught of calls.

• Against Proposition 310: Proposition 310 could soak taxpayers statewide for fire districts that only serve a fraction of residents. And if you don't like how the money is spent? Tough.

Judges

• Joanna Allhands, columnist: A state commission says a Superior Court judge doesn’t meet standards. Is that enough to boot him? And what about the 73 other judges on the ballot?

Maricopa County attorney

• Editorial: The issue in this race isn’t competence. It comes down to whether voters want more of the same under Rachel Mitchell or a promise of reform from Julie Gunnigle.

• Democrat Julie Gunnigle: A good county attorney can keep us safe and keep people out of prison. I can do both.

• For Republican Rachel Mitchell: Progressive prosecutors in major cities across the nation touted the same policies that Julie Gunnigle favors, with disastrous results.

• Jon Gabriel, opinion contributor: Rachel Mitchell has made good use of her brief time as interim county attorney, producing admirable results. It’s a good reason to keep her.

CAWCD

• Editorial: The Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) faces immense challenges as it delivers a dwindling Colorado River supply. Here’s how to make sense of the 14 candidates running for this job.

School boards

• Editorial: School board races are even lower profile this year than they were before masks and critical race theory turned meetings into powder kegs. What happened?

This is an opinion of The Arizona Republic's editorial board.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona election 2022 has stark choices. How to make sense of them