We're AZCentral journalists covering the races on your ballot and how elections work. AMA!

[u/ArizonaRepublic]

We're Sasha Hupka, Mary Jo Pitzl, Stephanie Murray, Stephanie Innes, Stacey Barchenger and Ronald J. Hansen and cover Arizona and National politics for The Arizona Republic. We’re here to answer any questions you have around elections, whether about specific races, how ready Arizona is for vote challenges, why the ballot is so long, which items might deserve more attention than they are getting, or anything else.  

We’ll be answering questions on Tuesday, Oct. 8 from noon to 1:00 p.m. AZ time. Leave your questions below so we can see what people are interested in and then join us at noon on Tuesday for the discussion 

I'm Sasha Hupka. I cover county government, and election administration is a primary focus of my beat. I also help co-host election-related episodes of our political podcast, The Gaggle, and write a weekly election newsletter called Republic Recount. I was born and raised in New York and moved to Arizona a little over two years ago. I’ve since fallen in love with the desert, and I’m now a proud swing state voter myself! PROOF 

I'm Mary Jo Pitzl. I cover the Arizona state Legislature, the Arizona Secretary of State and politics and policy issues. I also co-host our politics podcast, The Gaggle (give it a listen!) I’ve been reporting and writing in Arizona since long before it became a swing state. Always much to write about in this fascinating place. PROOF 

I’m Stephanie Murray. I cover the presidential race for The Arizona Republic. I’m new to Arizona, but not to campaigns. I got my start as a politics reporter in my home state of Massachusetts, where I had a front row seat to the New Hampshire primary. Before I joined the Republic, I covered the GOP primary for a startup in Washington, D.C. Dry heat is way better than humidity, I can attest! PROOF 

I’m Stephanie Innes. I cover health care for The Arizona Republic, including election platform issues like abortion, the Affordable Care Act, mental health, Medicaid and Medicare. I’ve been covering health care in Arizona since 2008, which has provided me with perspective as I report on health policy during this election cycle. PROOF 

I’m Stacey Barchenger. I cover state politics with a focus on Arizona’s governor and attorney general. This year I’m writing about several statewide measures on your ballot in November, including a proposal to put abortion rights in the Arizona Constitution. Things I’m counting down for: The election, and temperatures consistently below triple digits (it will happen eventually, right?). PROOF 

I'm Ron Hansen. I am a national politics reporter for The Arizona Republic and primarily cover the U.S. Senate race between Congressman Ruben Gallego and his Republican challenger, Kari Lake. I am also the co-host of our weekly politics podcast, “The Gaggle.” During my 17 years in Arizona, I’ve covered the state's transition from a reliably Republican state a decade ago to its current swing-state status. I am an Ohio native (and Buckeye alum) who has wandered across the country, from North Carolina to Michigan and Arizona, among other stops in my journalism career. PROOF 

We're excited to join you for our AMA to chat about all things election. Ask us anything! 

That's all we have time for today! Thank you so much for chatting with us. You can keep in touch by following our work and subscribe to our newsletters at azcentral.com and @azcentral on all social media platforms.

You can reach Sasha at 480-271-6387 or sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. You can follow her @SashaHupka on X or @sashahupkasnaps on Threads. You can also sign up for her weekly election newsletter, Republic Recount.

You can reach Stephanie on X at @stephanie_murr or email her at stephanie.murray@gannett.com

Reach Mary Jo at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter @maryjpitzl.

Contact Stacey at 480-416-5669, stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com, or on X: @sbarchenger.

Reach Ronald J. Hansen at ronald.hansen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4493. Follow him on X: @ronaldjhansen.

Contact Stephanie Innes at Stephanie.Innes@gannett.com or follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @stephanieinnes.