Follow LOOKOUT's Midterm 2026 Coverage

Arizona’s Proposition 318 appears to be headed to a win, expanding restrictions on transgender girls in sports and barring transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.

Tim Mooney, the consultant behind the measures in Colorado and Arizona, declared victory after early returns showed a commanding lead.

In a statement, Mooney said tonight’s election results show “overwhelmingly that Arizona voters want to protect girls’ sports and female private spaces.”

The measure builds on Arizona’s existing ban on transgender girls competing on girls’ public school sports teams.

Fifteen people sat around the horseshoe bar at Tucson’s dimly lit Venture-N.

CNN played on the corner television as Bill, 81, came up to the bar and told the bartender, Dan Gillmore, “Talarico won.”

Joseph, another Venture-N regular, said, “I felt like crying” when he heard about Texas flipping a Senate seat. The mood was calm and warm, with people buying green tea shots for their friends on the patio and older men sipping pitchers at the bar.

Bill used to be a Republican, as well as a pastor, but then “the Republican Party left me.” He also stepped down from his position at the church. He’s now a regular at the bar.

He said of the propositions, “It’s very difficult to figure out, from the language, if it’s pro or con whatever they’re talking about.” He added, “To be safe, I voted no on all of them.”

“Don’t get me started about the judges,” Bill said. “I don’t have three days to investigate each of them.”

Lexi and two friends had ordered pizza and were watching the results at a nearby table. “It’s like an NBA game, we were all cheering,” said Jorge, one of the friends.

They were all concerned about Proposition 318.

Joseph said they’d been watching the results all night. “It’s a good night, and we needed a win,” he said. “But the pendulum always swings in politics.”

Democrats were ecstatic Tuesday night as election results rolled in, with hopes of a Democratic trifecta at the state Capitol. But one measure is missing from the celebration: Proposition 318, the ballot measure restricting transgender students from participating in school sports.

Sophia, a nonbinary campaign worker, wasn’t particularly surprised. They recalled talking with Democrats in 2024 who were reconsidering their support for the party because of Republican messaging about transgender people.

“Most people … either don’t know someone who’s trans, or they don’t know that they know someone who’s trans,” they said.

They felt campaigns could have done more to reach those voters by focusing less on explaining transgender identities and more on something everyone understands: bullying.

“This is an anti-bully campaign. That’s all it is,” they recalled telling voters.

Still, there was plenty of excitement about the night’s results.

At Lorena Austin and Jacob Martinez’s election watch party in Mesa, the crowd roared when preliminary results dropped.

“I’m so glad. I’m so happy. Oh my goodness. I really want to cry,” said 19-year-old Bridgette Granillo, a campaign volunteer for U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari.

She recalled how devastated she felt after the 2024 election. Despite her concerns about Proposition 318 and what she sees as its deceptive language, the possibility of a Democratic trifecta gave her hope.

“I’m ready to feel supported by my representatives, you know?”

At Democratic watch parties across town tonight, there is extreme jubilation at the prospect of Democrats taking full control of the House and Senate in Washington. Closer to home, it’s still too early to call a number of races for the state House and state Senate.

But while Democrats celebrated their wins, LGBTQ+ people were quietly apprehensive. As the community has seen in past elections, a strong night for Democrats doesn’t always mean a good one for queer and trans people. Colorado voters approved Amendment 2 in 1992, and California voters passed Proposition 8 in 2008, the same night Barack Obama won the presidency.

This year, many progressives hoped that Democrats turning out in surges, or Republicans fed up with their own party, would also mean votes for civil rights. So far, early returns haven’t given trans people that win in either Colorado or Arizona. The ballot measures haven’t been called, but the uncertainty has all but ensured a feeling of unease, anger and sadness.

The official Democratic watch party in Phoenix goes wild as state Rep. Oscar De Los Santos announces they are expecting a “Democratic trifecta” in 2027.

Speakers have yet to mention Proposition 318. So far, they’ve only showcased Proposition 320, on school funding, and Proposition 144, on voter ID laws.

The Casino Ballroom in South Tucson was bursting. Tucson Mayor Regina Romero began announcing preliminary numbers from the election, with both JoAnna Mendoza and Amish Shah leading in their congressional races, and the crowd shrieked in glee.

A few moments later, Rep. Adelita Grijalva took the stage to more deafening applause. She announced that CNN had called the House of Representatives for Democrats, and she screamed herself. Repeatedly referring to “the Grijalva machine,” or “La Machina,” she said, “People are scared of us, and they should be.”

Grijalva called out “Trump’s wasteful, dumbass border wall,” adding, “We need to shut down private, for-profit detention centers, and yes, we need to abolish ICE.”

Grijalva later told LOOKOUT that some national Democrats’ move back toward the center on immigration is the wrong approach. “They don’t live in the borderlands,” Grijalva said of fellow Democrats. “They don’t know border communities. They don’t understand very clearly what we’re dealing with here.”

She said she would bring congressional delegations to the Tohono O’odham Nation and to immigration detention camps. “We want the cameras in those places,” she said. “We want people to see what happens inside.”

Shortly after Grijalva spoke to the press gaggle, a large television screen behind the band showed that James Talarico was projected to win a Senate seat in Texas, and the dancing crowd erupted in yet another round of ebullient cheers.

On their fourth tequila soda of the evening, Leon fought back tears as they scrolled through The New York Times’ election results.

Leon, who declined to give their last name because they are not out to their family, said they were thrilled to see Democrats doing so well in swing states across the country. But at home, they’re “devastated and angry” to see two ballot measures targeting trans kids performing so well.

“Personally, I just don’t understand what the f--- is wrong with people who want to victimize such a small group of kids,” they said. “Most people do not understand the experience of a trans child, so why try to legislate something that really has no effect on your life and that you don’t understand?”

About two hours after polls closed, early returns show both Propositions 134 and 135 with sizable leads. Taryn, who lives in Cortez, Colo., told LOOKOUT why they want the measures to fail.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s supporters packed an office suite near St. Philip’s Plaza. Red, white and blue bunting, balloons, flags, T-shirts and sweaters festooned the walls, the tables and the Ciscomani fans alike. Aides were giving away more Ciscomani sweaters and shirts stacked high on a table.

Gloria Camacho Collins, 71, said she supports Ciscomani because in an era of “discord, anger and division,” she sees him as more “accepting, friendlier and more mellow” than most politicians. She said she has both Trump and Ciscomani bumper stickers on her car and regularly gets angry honks or middle fingers.

“I love Trump,” she said, but “he can be vulgar. He’s a businessman, not everyone likes that.” Camacho Collins said the economy was going well until the Iran war. “Conservatives, we’re more understanding, compassionate, personable, willing to see things from the other side.”

Asked about Proposition 318, she said, “We have a trans in our family. We loved him as a boy, and we love her as a young woman. I don’t think a lot of Republicans see it like I do.”

All polls in Northern Arizona are now closed. The Hardrock Chapter on the Navajo Nation had been ordered to stay open until 8 p.m. after opening an hour late.

A couple of folks in Northern Arizona gave me updates from the polls, especially after the extreme flooding over the weekend.

Brandee Keyonnie is a Diné voter living in Flagstaff. She voted early, but when she dropped friends off at the polls, she said it had been pretty calm most of the day.

This weekend, her family’s homes in Dilkon and Low Mountain, Ariz., were hit by heavy flooding that washed out the dirt roads. Keyonnie’s mom said getting to the polls would’ve been pretty difficult without a truck.

Meanwhile, Darrell Marks drove his mom to Tonalea, Ariz., to vote on the Navajo Nation. He said the polls were calm, but he thinks the flooding played a major part in an election some Navajo Nation residents were already skeptical of.

“For some communities, the flooding has taken precedence over voting,” Marks said.

At Jacob Martinez and Lorena Austin’s campaign party in Mesa, supporters are through the roof, with preliminary results showing Martinez and Austin with a comfortable lead over Brad Bettencourt.

At Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s watch party, the congressman is in good spirits. I got to speak with a first-time voter who didn’t say much about Ciscomani’s stance on the war in Iran but praised his support for veterans.

Early returns have started to come in, showing Ciscomani’s Democratic challenger, JoAnna Mendoza, ahead. But it’s still very early, and Ciscomani doesn’t seem too worried for now.

I’m headed to Mendoza’s watch party next to get the other side.

As the polls closed at Mesa Convention Center, volunteers for Aliento were chanting “Stay in line!” from behind the 75-foot marker.

As I walked up, one woman, who asked not to be named because of family privacy concerns, walked away flustered. She’d been turned away from the polls after arriving just past the deadline.

Despite the frustration, she shrugged and got back into her car.

Nancy, a volunteer with Election Protection, said the convention center had been fairly tame most of the day. But she said some people began to get out of line when a poll worker came out to tell them polls closed at 7.

“I think there was some miscommunication,” she said. “I think we may have lost a few to the confusion.”

Polls are closed now, but for next time, if you don’t already know: If you are in line by 7 p.m., you are still eligible to vote.

Off to the watch party!

The line stretched around the corner of Tucson’s Woods Memorial Library, with more than 80 people chatting or swiping at their phones in the early evening dark.

One voter hurrying toward their car said they waited 40 minutes. Parking was an issue, and cars were jammed into the small lot or inching around the neighboring streets looking for a spot.

Sedona Hartley, 27, said she waited almost 40 minutes but was happy to do so “so the state goes blue,” she told LOOKOUT.

She said her main focus was supporting Pima Community College through Prop 430. She also made sure to vote yes on Prop 422 to support funding for Tucson’s Reid Park Zoo. Hartley said she struggled to keep track of all the other propositions and voted according to the Democratic voter guide she had folded in her hand. “I hope I didn’t mess up on the propositions,” she said. “I definitely support trans kids.”

Liz, 24, joined the back of the line, pulling out her phone to settle in for the wait. Her primary issue was Prop 421, which would allow Tucson to enter into a franchise agreement with Tucson Electric Power, the private utility. Liz said she doesn’t want to see rate hikes and instead “wants to give back to the greater community.”

On Prop 318, Liz was adamant. “Are we going to give kids physical exams to check their sex?” she said. “Vote based on your heart. Put yourself in someone’s shoes and try to understand how these laws are going to affect them.”

She added: “TL;DR: vote with empathy.” Then she chuckled. “Mic drop. I’m done.”

Polls in Arizona closed at 7 p.m., but anyone already in line by then can still cast a ballot.

Polling locations across Arizona and Colorado are now closed. However, one polling location in Navajo County, Arizona, will stay open for an extra hour after a county court order.

We should start to see larger drops of results around 8 p.m. But the AP has already started calling some races in both states, mostly uncontested ones, such as Alma Hernandez’s race for the Arizona state Senate.

Democrat Phil Weiser has won the election for governor of Colorado, according to The Associated Press.

The AP also called Colorado’s U.S. Senate race for Democrat John Hickenlooper, who wins reelection.

I’ve sat down for a bit and been listening in at the Phoenix Metro Democratic Socialists watch party at the Royale in Phoenix’s Melrose District. Right now, the mood is pretty positive.

No one here seems to have any reason to think Democrats can’t hold onto the state’s top three offices: governor, secretary of state and attorney general. But there’s a lot more of a toss-up feeling around the race for state superintendent of public instruction.

As voters trickled in to drop off their ballots at the UCCS drop box about 40 minutes before polls close, several said they supported Propositions 134 and 135 because they feel minors are too young to make decisions about surgery and that sports should be separated by sex out of fairness.

“Maybe when they’re in college we could talk about surgeries, but they’re just too young to make those kinds of decisions,” said Erica Harris. Harris added that seeing “biological boys” on girls’ K-12 sports teams could “expose minors to adult topics” before they’re ready.

Others voted against the measures because they felt these issues should be handled between parents and doctors.

“This was an easy ‘no’ for my husband and I,” said Jenny Bazzetta. “Colorado is one of the last remaining states that supports queer people, and I hope we can all mind our own business so that it stays that way.”

A packed parking lot and a short line out the door at Marana’s Continental Ranch Community Center. Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani is on the ballot here, and the race for the 6th Congressional District was, along with affordability and immigration enforcement, front of mind for Marana voters.

Alyssa, a paramedic from an immigrant family, told LOOKOUT she’s mostly angry about income inequality and affordability in Marana. “I vote because I have to use my voice. I see a lot as a paramedic, how issues affect people, and I knew I needed to vote,” she said.

She said it’s not acceptable to her that schools and health care are suffering as America goes to war. “It’s these institutions that allowed my family to thrive here, and we need to protect them.” She said she was not impressed with Ciscomani, and worries that other legislators like him will continue to allow more immigrants and U.S. citizens to be locked away, “even in Marana,” she said, referring to an immigration detention camp that could be opening soon.

She called Proposition 318 “the most crazy issue” on the ballot. “At the end of the day, I see trans people as humans, so they should have human rights.” She said she’s had a lot of trans patients over the years. “If there’s anything I can vote on to help their mental health, then I’m voting on it.”

Craig Cecil, another Marana resident, had a starkly different take. Wearing an American flag baseball cap, Cecil said he was “100% behind Ciscomani.”

“I don’t blame him for affordability issues,” Cecil said. He acknowledged that tariffs may be a factor, but thinks the root of the problem goes back to pandemic-era policies that spiked inflation. He voted for both Propositions 144 and 318.

“I’m worried every election about security issues,” he said. “I don’t believe Kari Lake lost, and look at what a bad job Katie Hobbs has been doing.” Lake lost the 2022 governor’s race to Hobbs, and courts rejected her challenges to the result. Cecil said he’s not worried his own vote will be miscounted, but he is focused on “all the illegal votes up in Maricopa.” There is no evidence of widespread illegal voting in Maricopa County.

Cecil was “1000% against trans sports,” as he put it, saying “biological males” shouldn’t be on girls’ sports teams or in their locker rooms.

Three women in east Colorado Springs said they voted in support of the state’s two anti-trans ballot measures, Propositions 134 and 135, but did so with reluctance.

“I know that these ballot measures were written with bad intentions,” Monica Newman said. “And I had to think hard about this one, but ultimately I felt like it came down to the issues of fairness in sports and protecting minors from a permanent decision that they could regret later in life.”

Newman is a nurse who said she’s treated trans patients. She made clear she supports trans people and understands the bullying and harassment they face.

“I really wish I didn’t have to make a decision about this one,” she added.

Sherry Winters felt similarly. She has two cisgender daughters who play soccer and said she felt uncomfortable with the idea of them playing against “biological boys.” But she doesn’t want trans kids to feel excluded. She wishes there were better options.

Lindsey Chase worries about kids making what she sees as a permanent decision they could come to regret.

“They may not understand the full ramifications of a decision like that, and I just think that as adults, it is our job to protect kids from something that could potentially cause harm,” Chase said.

Back in Phoenix, lines are stacking up across from ASU Downtown. The line is made up mostly of younger voters, many of them students.

Kenneth Serrano, a graduate student, made the last-minute decision to go vote with some of his classmates. Between the demands of a busy academic program and a lack of time to follow politics, he admitted he may not have voted otherwise.

“I’m kind of going in blind,” Serrano said, explaining that he hadn’t kept up with the candidates or campaigns.

Luckily for Serrano, one of his classmates, Zoe Soto, voted early and was walking him through what he’d see in the voting booth.

For Soto, avoiding Election Day lines was reason enough to cast a ballot early. She mailed her ballot about a week and a half before the election, taking time to research the propositions before making her selections.

One of those was Proposition 318, which would expand restrictions on transgender students’ participation in school athletics and access to certain facilities. She voted against the measure, citing concerns about identity and safety.

“I think it’s important in terms of identity,” Soto said. “I believe that if you are transitioning or identify a certain way, that’s what you are.”

She didn’t believe the propositions alone would drive people to vote, in part because of how confusing the language can be.

Across the street, early voter Darian Cruz shared similar concerns.

Cruz is a first-time voter who recently became a citizen. She said it took her two days to confidently fill out her ballot: one day to research judges and another to research propositions.

“It was definitely overwhelming,” Cruz said. “I always thought voting would be like 15 minutes.”

But she said the extra time was worth it, because it wasn’t only about making her own voice heard.

“I just wanted to make sure that I was voting for myself and for my family members who can’t vote.”

In northern Colorado Springs, Michelle Lee, a parent of trans youth, told LOOKOUT what’s at stake for families like hers today.

“Once you know and love someone who identifies in this way, you can’t look the other way and say you still love them,” Lee said.

Just over four hours until polls close, and Mesa Community College is looking lively. The line is starting to wrap around the building, with more than 100 people waiting.

The crowd here is mixed, but community college students appear to make up the majority.

Despite the younger and larger crowd, the line is still relatively quiet. Chatter is at a minimum, and eyes are locked onto phone screens.

Volunteers with organizations like Save Our Schools and Arizona Center for Empowerment have been here since the morning, handing out ballot guides.

Ella Dandy is one of those volunteers. Dandy began organizing with Arizona Center for Empowerment in January, motivated by immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and concerns about ICE at polling places.

“I kind of got activated,” they said.

For Dandy, the election is also deeply personal. After struggling to access gender-affirming care through Medicaid, they worry about what a Republican victory could mean for their future in Arizona. Gov. Katie Hobbs’ veto power “has been very important for my continuing to live here as a nonbinary person,” they said.

Dandy called Proposition 318, the ballot measure restricting transgender athletes, “a silly distraction” from issues such as affordability and immigration enforcement.

Arizona is home for Dandy, but if the election doesn’t go their way, they said they might reconsider staying. “I would absolutely think about it.”

On the way out, I stopped to talk with Kathy Gomez, an educator volunteering with Save Our Schools. Her sister is Rep. Patty Contreras, one of the first out lesbians elected to the state House and now a candidate for the state Senate in Legislative District 12.

While she doesn’t want to make any major assumptions about results, she’s confident her sister will bring home a victory.

At the Mercado voting location in the Town of Guadalupe, José Saldaña, a Pascua Yaqui councilmember, told LOOKOUT the day has been calm.

“We haven’t had any incidents, any situations that have occurred here at the Mercado voting location,” Saldaña said. “Historically, this voting site has had some disruptions and some folks that have come up here within our town and try to intimidate our voters.”

There have been comments in various threads that poll workers are continuing to ask people who are dropping off ballots to show ID. It’s been a contentious topic since late October, when the ACLU of Arizona accused Maricopa County poll workers of telling voters they needed ID to drop off their mail ballots, and asked Recorder Justin Heap to review how poll workers are trained. Heap’s office called the claims unsubstantiated and said workers are trained to tell voters that showing ID is voluntary.

Under state law, showing ID at drop-off is optional. It only lets your ballot be counted faster.

So, to be clear: you do not need to show ID to drop off your ballot, and you do not need to wait in line. You can walk in, drop off your ballot and walk out. And grab a sticker, if you so choose.

Election protection advocates are urging anyone who sees a poll worker tell voters they must show ID to drop off a ballot to call the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).

A steady trickle of voters outside a Latter-day Saints meetinghouse at Southern and 7th. Patricia Valenzuela, a candidate for the Roosevelt School Board, had found a spot of shade between bougainvilleas and was introducing herself to voters as they headed inside. She told them she would be the first Native American woman on the school board. Many voters thanked her on the way out.

Maria, 60, stepped outside the vote center and told LOOKOUT about her spoiled ballot. “The way they’re written is deceiving,” Maria said of the propositions. She wanted to vote yes on Prop 318, to limit transgender youth’s access to bathrooms and sports, but she first accidentally marked no and had to ask for another ballot.

“I’m a female, and I have three boys. The way kids develop is different depending on if they’re a boy or girl. I want it to be fair,” Maria said.

She identified as a split-ticket voter. “I’m a registered Democrat, but I’m not 100% in my heart a Democrat,” Maria said. She became a U.S. citizen 10 years ago and feels strongly about the danger Andy Biggs would present as governor. She said she voted the Democratic Party line, except on Propositions 317, which would designate cartels as terrorist organizations, and 318.

Ashia, 31, said she hasn’t missed casting a ballot since she turned 18. She feels confident in the integrity of elections and chalked up any anxiety to political maneuvering, not any issue with the voting systems.

She said she mostly informed herself about the propositions on TikTok. “I watched a whole bunch of different people to really learn about the issues,” she said.

Prop 318 was a hard no for her. She also voted no on 317. “It could be overused, used for discrimination,” she said.

Stepping out at Chandler Nature Center, the smell of free tacos from Modern Tortilla is filling the air. The gourmet food truck joined “Party at the Polls,” a nonpartisan celebration of voting.

As folks start getting off for lunch, the line is starting to stack up.

Walking up, Democratic and Republican electioneers faced each other, seeing who could hand out their voter guides first. Tense sure is one way to describe it.

Volunteers for both parties said the crowd has mostly been older folks and people dropping off their filled-out ballots.

On the Democratic side was Raquel “Rockee” Armstrong, who is running for the state House in Legislative District 13.

“It’s been a tough last week,” she said, “but we’re just gonna see how today goes.”

Armstrong is facing off against fellow Democrat Jacob Weinberg and Republicans Kevin Hartke and Janet Weninger in what is likely to be a competitive race. The district leaned Republican in 2024.

Off to the side, volunteers with the nonpartisan immigrant rights group Aliento held signs and handed out voter guides encouraging people to vote.

Ira Orozco, a volunteer with Aliento, said they just hope people vote “with immigrants in mind.”

Orozco identifies as genderfluid and queer. Though they couldn’t speak through a partisan lens, they said community is their top priority.

“As a queer person, I’m just trying to keep my community safe.”

I finished the taco as I finished this dispatch. It was really good.

Over at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, lines have remained steady throughout the morning, with about a 10-minute wait as students weave in and out of voting traffic.

Despite the wait, it’s fairly silent within the 75-foot boundary.

“I feel like today is very tense,” said José, a queer electioneer for Keep Arizona Blue Student Coalition. “I just think the stakes are higher than any time before.”

Vicky, a GOP electioneer, said she’s out here because she loves the country and is “tired of big donors and big money coming in and making it harder for the common man.”

“End big money and end corruption,” she said. “Take me back to the ’80s!”

Both electioneers are anxious for tonight’s results.

No lines, sprightly pop music and abundant snacks outside the student union at South Mountain Community College. Voters wandered in at a steady clip, came out with stickers on their chests, and picked up cookies or chips for the ride to work or back home.

Arizona Center for Empowerment (ACE) had a stand with stickers, Hot Cheetos and three people wearing “Barrio Defender” baseball caps. One of them was David Huff, who told LOOKOUT the day so far had been “all positive.” ACE is focused on voter turnout and community empowerment, Huff said, and its volunteers are keeping an eye out for any form of voter intimidation. As Huff was explaining ACE’s work, a 71-year-old Spanish-speaking man, Santiago, took his driver’s license out of his wallet and asked where he needed to show it. A woman at the ACE table directed him inside.

LOOKOUT spoke with eight people outside the student union after they voted. Most of their concerns focused on affordability and immigration enforcement. Their positions on Proposition 318 were mixed. A few were stoutly opposed to trans kids using bathrooms that match their gender identity. Two people didn’t vote on any of the propositions at all. Priscilla, 70, said the propositions were “very confusing” and “looked repetitious.”

Chloe, 22, meanwhile, said of Prop 318, “It strikes me as, I don’t know, insane. Discriminatory.” She said, however, that prices are the biggest issue on the ballot for her.

About 20 minutes after Santiago asked about his ID at the ACE table, he walked back outside with a new sticker on his chest. “Todo es importante,” he told LOOKOUT in Spanish — everything is important. He said he tried to read up on all the issues, and he watches TV news. He was most worried about intimidation of Latino voters. “All eyes are on us,” he said. He added that ICE presence in the community has been devastating. He hasn’t heard of ICE at the polls, but shook his head at the prospect. “Es muy malo,” he said. It’s very bad.

On Prop 318, he said he came from a different culture and had to vote for it. “Sharing bathrooms isn’t good,” he said.

Polls have been open across Arizona and Colorado for about three hours now. So far, the only problems I’m seeing across different channels are some polling locations opening late, which is a fairly standard Election Day problem.

If you notice any issues at your polling location, tag us @lookout_news on Bluesky or Instagram. We have people on socials monitoring all day.

Voting in person in Arizona? Check what your rights are before you go.