Phoenix-Area Church Voting Sites Banning Electioneering Up 64% Since 2022
PHOENIX, Ariz. — A growing number of church-based voting locations in the Phoenix area are banning electioneering outside their polling places. An Arizona Republic analysis published October 31 found that the number of voting sites prohibiting campaigning has grown 64 percent since 2022, while the total number of voting locations rose only 14 percent.
Arizona law expressly allows electioneering beyond 75 feet from a voting center entrance, and counties are supposed to impose bans only in specific circumstances. But Maricopa County's heavy reliance on churches as voting sites, combined with rising political tension, has driven the increase.
Living Word Ahwatukee church in southeast Phoenix allowed electioneering for years, then banned it after 2020, when the public mistook the activity for the church taking sides and the congregation was attacked on social media. Desert View Bible Church in north Phoenix, serving as a voting site for the first time this year, also chose to prohibit it. County Elections Deputy Director Jennifer Leaver said the county is turning increasingly to churches as voting locations.
The analysis says the bans reflect a tug-of-war between voting rights and free speech. On Election Day, November 3, voters heading to church-based sites may find noticeably less campaigning outside.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Phoenix skyline Arizona USA。Wikimedia Commons 摄，Public domain，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Phoenix skyline Arizona USA. By Wikimedia Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
