What is a preference election and why does Arizona have one?

A busy election year is here. It starts with the March 19
presidential preference election, followed by the Aug. 6 primary,
and then the Big One: the Nov. 7 presidential election. On that
day, voters all over the country will be ponying up to the polls to
fill in the bubble of the candidates they want most. This year, the
presidency is on the line. But first comes the preference election.
This election, also referred to as the primaries, isn't the same
date in every state. Republican voters in New Hampshire and Iowa
have already decided that former President Donald Trump is their
pick to represent their party. Democrats in Iowa vote on March 5.
In Arizona, only Democrats and Republicans can vote on Tuesday,
March 19 for which candidate they want to put forward into the big
fight come November. Independent voters are out of luck for the
preference election. But how does all of this work? Who gets a say
and why does it matter? This week on The Gaggle, a politics podcast
by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, hosts Mary Jo Pitzl and
Sasha Hupka kick off a new series called Elections Dissection. Each
month this year, they'll be breaking down a new elections process
so you understand how voting in Arizona works. In this episode,
Mary Jo and Sasha talk with the man who brought preference
elections to Arizona, a politician whose career was defined by a
botched preference election, and an active county recorder who is
working to avoid confusion at the polls.  Learn more about
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