GOVERNMENT
Rep. Teresa Martinez Incumbent, Arizona House of Representatives
Before they ran for office, they were first-time voters BY MONICA D. SPENCER
How old were you when you first registered to vote? I was 18 and registered so I could get extra credit in a class at Central Arizona College.
What was the first election you voted in? I think the first election I paid attention to was [the 1994 presidential election with] Bill Clinton. I remember because he was running against Ross Perot and George H. W. Bush. I remember thinking, “Look at that old man and look at this guy. He’s cool, he’s playing the saxophone.” Rock Your Vote was really popular on MTV, so that’s when I became engaged. How did you feel the first time you voted? I remember being happy about [Clinton] winning. Looking back now, I didn’t even know at the time he was a Democrat. I just saw this cool and exciting guy compared to these two old guys.
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Registering to vote is the first step to participating in an election. But the reasons people take can be as varied as the voters themselves. So, we asked several Maricopa candidates and incumbents to look back at a more personal civic milestone: When did you first register to vote and what do you remember about it?
EFORE THE CAMPAIGN SIGNS, THE DEBATES AND ballots, there was the first registration. Arizona has more than 4.3 million registered voters, but every one of them had to take that first step at some point. The state’s voter rolls have doubled since 2000, when about 2.17 million Arizonans were registered.
WANT TO REGISTER? HERE’S HOW
Register online: Eligible voters with an Arizona driver license or state ID can register or update their registration through AZMVDNow.com.
Check your registration: Voters can verify their registration, districts and other election information through AZMVDNow.com.
election is Oct. 5 at 11:59 p.m.
and county residents, and at least 18 years old by Nov. 3. Certain felony convictions and court adjudications can affect eligibility.
Julia Gusse Candidate, Arizona House of Representatives
Who can register: Arizona voters must be U.S. citizens, Arizona
How old were you when you first registered to vote? It was after I got out of the service, so I was 26. When I was in the military, they didn’t encourage it and I don’t even know how they would have gotten the ballots to us at the time, since it’s not like today. Why did you decide to register? We were living in Whittier, Calif., so we wanted to make sure we were choosing the individuals that we wanted in city council and I remember the governor’s race. Arnold Schwarzneggar ran and it was a big deal. I was surprised that he won because he’s a Republican and it’s a majority Democrat state, so it was very interesting. How did you feel the first time you voted? It was very meaningful because some of our veterans groups in Southern California were trying to get a park dedicated to us. In order to do that, we had to elect the right people in the city to get that done.
The deadline to vote in the November general
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Rep. Chris Lopez Incumbent, Arizona House of Representatives How old were you when you first registered to vote? I was 18; it was the first thing I did. I was so excited to do it, and I remember going down to the post office. Why did you decide to register? I always loved the involvement and election process, but I will say growing up in the Reagan era, I regard Ronald Reagan as the best president in our history. It really excited and interested me when he would write handwritten letters and sign them.
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How did you feel the first time you voted? I felt so excited being involved. I’ve voted in every election since.
October 2026 | InMaricopa.com
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InMaricopa.com | October 2026
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