PHOENIX — In an election year when all eyes are on Arizona, pundits and pollsters are trying to predict how many residents in the Grand Canyon State will actually turn out to cast a ballot for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
Reports from the Arizona Secretary of State's Office show there's one county that has an impressive record when it comes to voter turnout in a presidential race.
Since the 2004 election, Yavapai County has reported having the highest turnout among Arizona's 15 counties. In the last five presidential elections, Yavapai's turnout has exceeded 80% of the county's electorate.
The county's turnout rate has often surpassed the statewide turnout rate.
During the last presidential election in 2020, more than 87% of Yavapai's registered voters submitted ballots.
The 2000 presidential election broke Yavapai's turnout streak when Maricopa and Pima counties both reported a slightly higher turnout rate that year. Records show Yavapai County reported the top turnout rate in 1996, 1992, 1988 and 1984.
Going into the 2024 election, Yavapai has 175,209 registered voters, the fourth highest amount behind Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties.
As of Oct. 30, the Yavapai County Recorder's Office had reported receiving 98,875 ballots, meaning up to 56% of the county's registered voters have already voted.
By comparison, the Maricopa County recorder said 1,095,632 ballots had been returned as of Oct. 29, which is about 42% of the county's registered voters.
Republicans have a huge registration advantage over Democrats in Yavapai County, making this region of Arizona a reliably red part of the state. In every presidential race dating back to 1984, the majority of Yavapai's voters have favored the Republican candidate running for the White House.
But the county still has over 49,000 independent voters who could potentially help sway the results of competitive statewide races.
