Pinal County opens new election center in Florence

At a ceremony on June 11, Pinal County officials and community members cut the ribbon on Pinal County’s new state-of-the-art elections facility, named the Pinal V.O.T.E.S. Center — Voter Operations Technology and Election Services.

The building, in Florence at 320 W. Adamsville Road, was constructed in 16 months, in what Board of Supervisors Vice-Chairman Jeffrey McClure called a “Herculean effort,” according to a release.

With staff already moved in, it is ready to host the Primary Election on July 30.

Built in the aftermath of the 2022 elections, at 53,000 square feet the facility is more than four times the size of the previous facility in Coolidge. It also provides expansion space to grow in the future, in line with Pinal County’s expected population increase. In addition to space, the building offers improvements in security, processes and transparency.

The project was led by Pinal County Recorder Dana Lewis, Supervisor McClure who was chairman of the board when the project was initiated in 2022 and county management, working with Swan Architects and FCI Constructors.

One of the features of the new building is the “Fishbowl,” a viewing room where any member of the public has a 360-degree view, central to the election processes going on at any time.

Recorder Lewis and the Elections Department are offering “Tuesday Tours” of the new Pinal V.O.T.E.S. Center to any community members. These can be booked through the Pinal County website at https://pinalcountyaz.seamlessdocs.com/f/83wo9rd97gud .

“This structure is the culmination of countless hours of hard work, dedication, and collaboration. It is a testament to the unwavering commitment of all of those who have labored to bring this project from thoughts and lines on paper to brick-and-steel reality. It is here that the will of the electorate will be faithfully and accurately recorded,” Recorder Lewis said in the relese. “To the voters of Pinal County: May this building remind you of the sacred right that we have as citizens of a free country to exercise our voice through our vote.”

Mike Goodman, chairman of the Pinal County Board of Supervisors, remarked at the event, “It was the goal and the intent of our Board of Supervisors to set things in motion that would help restore the confidence in our God-given right to voice ourselves and to have those voices heard. Dana and the elections staff have worked tirelessly to address areas of concern, make improvements, and carry out our elections as transparently and accurately as possible.”