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DOJ investigates Arizona voter drives days before election

A former GOP election official questions the timing.

Election

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Justice Department" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/25/trump-doj-midterms-interference" data-vars-content-id="cfaf39f0-113f-422c-afd9-a8ee3820e933" data-vars-headline="DOJ investigates Arizona voter drives days before election" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/25/trump-doj-midterms-interference" target="_self">Justice Department</a> is investigating the Arizona voter registration efforts of three Democratic-aligned groups after an &quot;undercover&quot; video purported to show volunteers willing to register non-citizens.Why it matters: The Friday announcement comes four days before the Nov. 3 election, and nearly a month after Arizona&#x27;s registration deadline passed, timing one Republican former elections official says could sow unnecessary doubt about the results.

Katie Hobbs wins reelection in Arizona governor's race

Hobbs' victory keeps Arizona's governor's office in Democratic hands and denies Republicans a major pickup.

News

Arizona <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Gov. Katie Hobbs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/08/06/aarp-poll-hobbs-biggs" data-vars-content-id="eeea3e3b-dcaf-46a8-bd48-6b1d5f4f9afa" data-vars-headline="Katie Hobbs wins reelection in Arizona governor&#x27;s race" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/08/06/aarp-poll-hobbs-biggs" target="_self">Gov. Katie Hobbs</a> defeated Republican Andy Biggs to win a second term, keeping the battleground state&#x27;s governor&#x27;s office in Democratic hands, the AP projects. Why it matters: Hobbs has acted as a check on the Republican-controlled Legislature for the past four years, but with Democrats poised to potentially win both the House and Senate, she and her party could have a tremendous impact.

Democrats again seek elusive control of Legislature

A few districts will determine if Democrats win the Legislature for the first time since the 1960s.

Arizona Democrats have gotten used to saying &quot;This could be our year&quot; as they try to win <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="control of the Legislature" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/06/24/legislative-races-to-watch-arizona-primary-2024" data-vars-content-id="3bea28bf-d0d9-43cf-a28c-ccd3a257c945" data-vars-headline="Democrats again seek elusive control of Legislature" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/06/24/legislative-races-to-watch-arizona-primary-2024" target="_self">control of the Legislature</a> — and hopes are high that 2026 could finally be their year.Why it matters: With Gov. Katie Hobbs <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="favored to win" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/arizona-governor-election-polls-2026.html" data-vars-content-id="3bea28bf-d0d9-43cf-a28c-ccd3a257c945" data-vars-headline="Democrats again seek elusive control of Legislature" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/arizona-governor-election-polls-2026.html" target="_blank">favored to win</a> reelection next week, control of the Legislature will likely determine whether Arizona has a split government or one-party Democratic control.

New voter ID system could speed up counting of early ballots

30% of Maricopa County voters who delivered early ballots in the primary used the new option.

Arizonans have a new option this year to bypass the signature verification process for early ballots, potentially speeding up the state&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="infamously long vote-counting process" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/09/19/expect-delayed-election-results-again" data-vars-content-id="b68a86c4-6f8a-4477-88b5-ac9abbca5c0a" data-vars-headline="New voter ID system could speed up counting of early ballots" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/09/19/expect-delayed-election-results-again" target="_self">infamously long vote-counting process</a>.Why it matters: Ballot-counting in Arizona can <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="take days" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/14/hobbs-narrow-lead-lake-gains-arizona-governor" data-vars-content-id="b68a86c4-6f8a-4477-88b5-ac9abbca5c0a" data-vars-headline="New voter ID system could speed up counting of early ballots" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/14/hobbs-narrow-lead-lake-gains-arizona-governor" target="_self">take days</a> or even <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="more than a week" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-government-and-politics-7661ea46b45f432db0e893137598b581" data-vars-content-id="b68a86c4-6f8a-4477-88b5-ac9abbca5c0a" data-vars-headline="New voter ID system could speed up counting of early ballots" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-government-and-politics-7661ea46b45f432db0e893137598b581" target="_blank">more than a week</a> to determine winners in the closest races.

Melrose "gayborhood" transformation was decades in the making

Phoenix's original gay district was downtown around Roosevelt and Portland streets.

The area now known as the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Melrose District" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/03/05/the-royale-melrose-district-opens" data-vars-content-id="2c8277ef-3e60-4f67-830b-7d9cc9104c67" data-vars-headline="Melrose &quot;gayborhood&quot; transformation was decades in the making" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2024/03/05/the-royale-melrose-district-opens" target="_self">Melrose District</a> hasn&#x27;t always been Phoenix&#x27;s &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="gayborhood" data-vars-click-url="https://www.thrillist.com/travel/phoenix/phoenix-gayborhood-guide-original-miss-gay-melrose-america" data-vars-content-id="2c8277ef-3e60-4f67-830b-7d9cc9104c67" data-vars-headline="Melrose &quot;gayborhood&quot; transformation was decades in the making" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.thrillist.com/travel/phoenix/phoenix-gayborhood-guide-original-miss-gay-melrose-america" target="_blank">gayborhood</a>.&quot;Flashback: The social center of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Phoenix&#x27;s LGBTQ+ communities" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/10/09/phoenix-pride-in-melrose-festival-guide-when-where" data-vars-content-id="2c8277ef-3e60-4f67-830b-7d9cc9104c67" data-vars-headline="Melrose &quot;gayborhood&quot; transformation was decades in the making" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/10/09/phoenix-pride-in-melrose-festival-guide-when-where" target="_self">Phoenix&#x27;s LGBTQ+ communities</a> was originally around downtown&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Roosevelt and Portland streets" data-vars-click-url="https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts-culture/fruit-loop-run-tours-downtown-phoenixs-gay-landmarks-6570781/" data-vars-content-id="2c8277ef-3e60-4f67-830b-7d9cc9104c67" data-vars-headline="Melrose &quot;gayborhood&quot; transformation was decades in the making" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts-culture/fruit-loop-run-tours-downtown-phoenixs-gay-landmarks-6570781/" target="_blank">Roosevelt and Portland streets</a>, says Marshall Shore, Arizona&#x27;s &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Hip Historian" data-vars-click-url="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2021/06/03/hip-historian-helps-tell-story-arizona-transgender-history/7512139002/" data-vars-content-id="2c8277ef-3e60-4f67-830b-7d9cc9104c67" data-vars-headline="Melrose &quot;gayborhood&quot; transformation was decades in the making" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2021/06/03/hip-historian-helps-tell-story-arizona-transgender-history/7512139002/" target="_blank">Hip Historian</a>&quot; and a chronicler of the state&#x27;s LGBTQ+ history.

Cotton, copper and convicts once dominated Pinal County

Pinal County today would be unrecognizable to previous generations, who knew it as a place that was much more rural, agricultural and Democratic.Flashback: Three of the state&#x27;s famous Five Cs — cotton, cattle and copper — formed the foundation of Pinal County&#x27;s economy for generations, according to Thomas E. Sheridan, a historian and professor emeritus of anthropology at the University of Arizona.

Monument honoring USS Phoenix is coming to Steele Indian School Park

Cold War history is coming alive as work begins on a monument to the USS Phoenix nuclear sub.

Cold War history will come alive in Phoenix as the city begins work on a monument to a very appropriately named submarine.The big picture: The USS Phoenix was a nuclear attack submarine used by the Navy during the latter years of the Cold War.

In 1776, Arizona belonged to Native Americans and Spain

Arizona "was a concept that wasn't even in anybody's mind" during U.S. independence in 1776.

America at 250

America is celebrating its 250th birthday, but Arizona has a ways to go before it can celebrate being part of the United States for that long.The big picture: What&#x27;s now Arizona was, at least on paper, part of New Spain in 1776, though the Spanish controlled a relatively small part of the territory that would later become the 48th state.

The Don Bolles case as you've never heard it

Arizonans know the story of Don Bolles, but few know the details reported in a new book on the case.

Arizona Republic reporter <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Don Bolles&#x27; assassination" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/01/08/don-bolles-book-murder-in-the-fourth-estate-jeremy-duda" data-vars-content-id="914d0a0f-b859-4f0d-9de5-bf94c6c10d4b" data-vars-headline="The Don Bolles case as you&#x27;ve never heard it" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/01/08/don-bolles-book-murder-in-the-fourth-estate-jeremy-duda" target="_self">Don Bolles&#x27; assassination</a> is ingrained in the state&#x27;s collective memory, but there&#x27;s so much to the story that most people don&#x27;t know.The big picture: You&#x27;re probably familiar with details of Bolles&#x27; assassination — he was lured to the Clarendon Hotel in June 1976 by John Harvey Adamson, and was blown up with a car bomb as he left.

Don Bolles' car could be coming home to Arizona

Freedom Forum is looking for a place in Arizona to display Don Bolles' car after years of storage.

Don Bolles&#x27; bombed car could be coming back to Arizona.The big picture: As the 50th anniversary of the bombing approaches, Freedom Forum, which ran the Newseum, a Washington journalism museum that closed in 2019, is actively seeking a place to display Bolles&#x27; Datsun, Axios has learned.

Don Bolles case detective Jon Sellers was "a part of history"

Don Bolles, country music and motorcycle races: Remembering former detective Jon Sellers.

Jon Sellers, who spent years in the spotlight as the Phoenix Police Department&#x27;s lead investigator in the assassination of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles, died quietly in July 2024.State of play: Sellers, 88, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="died" data-vars-click-url="https://www.heritagefuneralchapels.com/obituaries/Jon-Gilbert-Sellers?obId=31867599" data-vars-content-id="0e6bb6e9-e858-424f-940d-1dbf29377631" data-vars-headline="Don Bolles case detective Jon Sellers was &quot;a part of history&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.heritagefuneralchapels.com/obituaries/Jon-Gilbert-Sellers?obId=31867599" target="_blank">died</a> of double pneumonia, his wife, Marlene Sellers, told Axios.

Arizona-made Civil War film debuts in Scottsdale

"The War Between" tells a Civil War story few know, filmed entirely in Arizona.

A new feature film about the Civil War&#x27;s westernmost battle is a &quot;love letter&quot; to Arizona on and off screen, the filmmakers tell Axios.The big picture: &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The War Between" data-vars-click-url="https://www.thewarbetweenfilm.com/" data-vars-content-id="7ea02748-d491-49a7-99a3-20e43974a44e" data-vars-headline="Arizona-made Civil War film debuts in Scottsdale" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.thewarbetweenfilm.com/" target="_blank">The War Between</a>,&quot; set in the Arizona Territory in 1862, features an almost entirely Arizona-based cast and crew. Its theatrical premiere is Friday at Harkins Shea 14 in Scottsdale.

50 years ago, an infamous burro incident became a defining moment

The incident dogged the congressman's career and haunted his U.S. Senate bid.

Last weekend marked the 50th anniversary of one of Arizona&#x27;s most bizarre political scandals — when U.S. Rep. Sam Steiger shot and killed two burros.Flashback: Steiger was a rancher and five-term Republican House member from Prescott.

Sandra Day O'Connor voted most influential figure in Arizona History Showdown

The Supreme Court justice defeated John McCain in the Arizona History Showdown championship.

And the winner is … Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O&#x27;Connor.State of play: The Arizona History Showdown is over, and the history-making O&#x27;Connor was voted by Axios Phoenix readers as our state&#x27;s most influential historical figure.<ul><li>O&#x27;Connor easily dispatched Sen. John McCain, taking nearly 65% of the vote in the championship round.</li></ul>Between the lines: O&#x27;Connor is, of course, most famous as the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, and her lasting influence was primarily at the national level for her many years on the bench and her role in deciding major cases.<ul><li>But before she became a groundbreaking national figure, she was a highly influential state legislator, rising to Senate majority leader, and she went on to become a Maricopa County Superior Court and Arizona Court of Appeals judge, setting the stage for her Supreme Court tenure.</li><li>Her legacy lives at the federal courthouse in downtown Phoenix, which is named for her, and the nonprofit Sandra Day O&#x27;Connor Institute, which was founded in her honor in 2009 to champion civics education and civil discourse.</li></ul><div><figure><div id="av-hermesv2/brackets/2025-08-08-1239-arizona-history-showdown-W8HPB" style="max-width:100%" data-vars-category="embed" data-vars-sub-category="axios-visual" data-vars-asset-id="av-hermesv2/brackets/2025-08-08-1239-arizona-history-showdown-W8HPB" data-vars-iframe-src="https://graphics.axios.com/hermesv2/brackets/2025-08-08-1239-arizona-history-showdown/index.html" class="gtmView"><img alt="A bracket that displays Arizona History Showdown results from round 1 to 4, with Sandra Day O&#x27;Connor emerging as the winner from among the original 16 entries." class="axios-visual-newsletter-fallback-image" src="https://graphics.axios.com/hermesv2/brackets/2025-08-08-1239-arizona-history-showdown/fallbacks/2025-08-08-1239-arizona-history-showdown-fallback.png" width="1200" height="1522"/><img alt="A bracket that displays Arizona History Showdown results from round 1 to 4, with Sandra Day O&#x27;Connor emerging as the winner from among the original 16 entries." class="axios-visual-apple-fallback-image" src="https://graphics.axios.com/hermesv2/brackets/2025-08-08-1239-arizona-history-showdown/fallbacks/2025-08-08-1239-arizona-history-showdown-apple.png" width="750" height="2304"/></div><figcaption>Bracket: Axios Visuals</figcaption></figure></div>What they&#x27;re saying: Scott O&#x27;Connor, the justice&#x27;s son, told Axios that his mother&#x27;s greatest accomplishments in the Senate included a statute-by-statute <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="elimination of laws that were discriminatory against women" data-vars-click-url="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2023/12/01/was-sandra-day-oconnor-a-feminist/1460260002/" data-vars-content-id="ef95bda2-dd2c-4f65-9b88-da5ee27da3b0" data-vars-headline="Sandra Day O&#x27;Connor voted most influential figure in Arizona History Showdown" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2023/12/01/was-sandra-day-oconnor-a-feminist/1460260002/" target="_blank">elimination of laws that were discriminatory against women</a>, and major mental health legislation inspired by her time working for the Attorney General&#x27;s Office at the Arizona State Hospital.<ul><li>Throughout her career, he said, his mother would find areas of need and do what she could to improve them.</li><li>He called his mother the godmother of Arizona&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="judicial merit selection system" data-vars-click-url="https://azmirror.com/2024/03/19/arizona-judicial-retention-keeps-judges-accountable-why-do-republicans-want-to-do-away-with-it/" data-vars-content-id="ef95bda2-dd2c-4f65-9b88-da5ee27da3b0" data-vars-headline="Sandra Day O&#x27;Connor voted most influential figure in Arizona History Showdown" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://azmirror.com/2024/03/19/arizona-judicial-retention-keeps-judges-accountable-why-do-republicans-want-to-do-away-with-it/" target="_blank">judicial merit selection system</a>, which voters approved in 1974.</li><li>After she retired from the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O&#x27;Connor created the iCivics online education provider, which her son said is a major, but often overlooked, accomplishment.</li></ul><div><figure><div id="av-hermesv2/brackets/2025-08-08-1240-arizona-history-showdown-VFBK9" style="max-width:100%" data-vars-category="embed" data-vars-sub-category="axios-visual" data-vars-asset-id="av-hermesv2/brackets/2025-08-08-1240-arizona-history-showdown-VFBK9" data-vars-iframe-src="https://graphics.axios.com/hermesv2/brackets/2025-08-08-1240-arizona-history-showdown/index.html" class="gtmView"><img alt="A bracket that displays Arizona History Showdown results from round 1 to 4, with John McCain emerging as the winner from among the original 16 entries." class="axios-visual-newsletter-fallback-image" src="https://graphics.axios.com/hermesv2/brackets/2025-08-08-1240-arizona-history-showdown/fallbacks/2025-08-08-1240-arizona-history-showdown-fallback.png" width="1200" height="1522"/><img alt="A bracket that displays Arizona History Showdown results from round 1 to 4, with John McCain emerging as the winner from among the original 16 entries." class="axios-visual-apple-fallback-image" src="https://graphics.axios.com/hermesv2/brackets/2025-08-08-1240-arizona-history-showdown/fallbacks/2025-08-08-1240-arizona-history-showdown-apple.png" width="750" height="2304"/></div><figcaption>Bracket: Axios Visuals</figcaption></figure></div>Jeremy&#x27;s thought bubble: I left the voting to our readers, but if I&#x27;d filled out a bracket, my winner would&#x27;ve been longtime U.S. Sen. Carl Hayden.<ul><li>Hayden has been gone for so many years and Arizona has grown so much in the decades since his Senate career ended that it&#x27;s easy to overlook how important he was to the state.</li><li>He used his seniority to direct a lot of federal resources to what was, at the time, a very small state, and capped his career with the passage of the monumentally important Central Arizona Project.</li></ul>The bottom line: Thanks to all of our readers who made the Arizona History Showdown a success!<ul><li>As a native Arizonan and lifelong history nerd, this has been a labor of love and a longtime dream, and I&#x27;m glad that so many of you enjoyed it.</li></ul>🗣️ You tell us: The bracket format was a lot of fun, and we&#x27;d love to use it again.<ul><li>What would you like to see from our next Axios Phoenix bracket competition?</li></ul>