(The Center Square) – Ahead of Arizona’s primary election on Tuesday, election security has been a hot topic among politicians. So much so that Secretary of State Adrian Fontes released a misinformation alert Friday afternoon.

“The Secretary of State encourages voters to rely only on trusted sources for accurate, election-related news,” reads a press release from the Secretary of State’s Office. “We want to reassure the public that the security and integrity of their vote are our top priorities.”

Election integrity is something that Senate candidate Kari Lake has spoken out about when it came to her election loss to Katie Hobbs in the 2022 race for governor. Lake claimed that Maricopa County didn’t conduct required accuracy testing on its tabulators and believed they were inaccurate, refusing to concede the race.

She has since claimed that her Republican opponent, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, is a “coward” when it comes to election integrity.

“He does not respect our elections,” Lake said. “He has done absolutely zero to make sure we have safe and secure elections.”

Lamb responded with an email to his supporters refuting Lake’s allegations.

“The topic of election integrity is incredibly important to me (and this country), and it’s one that I take very seriously,” the email reads. “My opponent, former newscaster Kari Lake, has resorted to making baseless accusations against me, suggesting that I turned a blind eye to election fraud. This couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Lamb said that in 2020, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office installed cameras on every ballot drop box in the county and monitored the footage. He even opened up the footage for the community to view.

“I’ve always fought for election integrity no matter what people say,” Lamb said.

Lake declined to participate in the GOP primary debate where Lamb did a Q&A, saying that election fraud is something he would address if elected as U.S. senator.

“There’s fraud in every election,” Lamb said. “We’ve got to do a lot better nationally with election security. We owe it to the American people.”

Fontes assured voters in his statement that the state is diligent in ensuring secure elections. The polls will be open for the state primary election at 6 a.m. and they close at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Voters in Maricopa County can find their closest polling location here. Voters in Pima County can find their closest polling location here. All other voters can visit my.arizona.vote to find their polling locations.

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In order to participate, voters must bring valid identification, either a photo ID or two forms of ID if they don’t include a photograph.

Fontes encourages people to be aware of the upcoming heatwave when going to polling locations and many locations will be equipped with cooling centers providing relief from the heat. More information on what to expect on election day can be found at https://azsos.gov/elections/voters.

A last-minute shake-up in a competitive congressional primary to replace outgoing Arizona Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko could have an impact on Tuesday’s results.

Trump endorsed both Blake Masters and Abe Hamadeh in a Truth Social post late Saturday night, even though the Republican originally only endorsed Hamadeh, the Arizona Republic reported.

“We have a very important Republican Primary Election on Tuesday for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, with two spectacular America First Candidates,” the former president posted.
 
“Blake Masters is a very successful businessman, and an incredibly strong supporter of our Movement to Make America Great Again – He is smart and tough! Likewise, Abe Hamadeh, a Veteran, former prosecutor, and fearless fighter for Election Integrity, has been with me all the way!” he continued.

“In Congress, we need a true Warrior who will work tirelessly with us to Grow our Economy, Stop Inflation, Secure our Border, End Migrant Crime, Support our Great Military/Vets, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment . . . THEY WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!” Trump added.

Masters was the Senate nominee and Hamadeh was the Attorney General nominee in the 2022 Republican primary, but the two drifted apart over disagreements related to the election outcome.

Masters conceded his race to Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, whereas Hamadeh legally challenged the results, along with gubernatorial turned senatorial candidate Kari Lake. Masters lost by roughly 125,000 votes, but Hamadeh lost by 280 votes.

The endorsement appears to close a gap between Trump and his Vice Presidential pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who backed Masters in the race for the safely Republican congressional district.

Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, former Congressman Trent Franks, state Sen. Anthony Kern and Patrick Briody are also pursuing the seat.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed top draft pick, outfielder Slade Caldwell, to a deal. Caldwell signed for $3,087,000, $41,500 above slot value, per MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis. He becomes the 18th member of the D-backs’ draft class to sign with the organization.

Caldwell has a locker at Chase Field, and took BP with the major league squad today before speaking to the media.

The young outfielder was Arizona’s first pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, going 29th overall to the D-backs out of Valley View High School in Arkansas–the top draft prospect in the state.

He’s got a high motor, able to cover plenty of ground and create chaos on the basepaths. He sports a 55-grade hit tool and 65-grade speed, and while he doesn’t exactly come off as a power hitter, there’s still a bit of pop in the bat.

After getting in some reps at the plate, Caldwell spoke to the media about his decision to sign with the organization, rather than play college ball at Ole Miss, where he had previously committed.

“It was very exciting, I took some time off and let my agent work. I had two good opportunities between school and here, and I finally came down to wanting to play pro baseball, and it was just really surreal,” Caldwell said.

“It was pretty tough for me, I have a pretty good connection over there at Ole Miss, with all the coaches and all the new teammates,” said the 18-year-old, “ultimately, I think I made the best decision coming to Arizona.”

Caldwell fits the D-backs archetype well, profiling as a left-handed hitting, 5-foot-9, 172-pound speedster with good instincts, excellent fielding and good contact-hitting ability.

His style and build are reminiscent of reigning Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll, and he’ll join Arizona’s horde of diminutive lefty outfield speedsters.

Caldwell noted how his build and style of play fit in with what the D-backs have seen out of many of their younger prospects, and feels encouraged to see players of his build and stature succeed and compete at the highest level.

“It brings me hope to see these guys out on the field playing in the World Series and everything. It gives me hope as a smaller guy to come out here and compete with everybody,” Caldwell said.

“I can definitely hit the ball as hard as anybody else, I just think it’s working hard, and your work ethic really pushes you forward no matter what your size is.”

Earlier, the young outfielder met one-on-one with manager Torey Lovullo. The skipper was impressed with Caldwell’s maturity at only 18 years old.

“He handled himself unbelievably, very mature. You walk into a major league manager’s office, could be a little intimidating, but he looked me square in the eye, we had a good conversation,” Lovullo said.

“I was very glad with the meeting [with Lovullo],” Caldwell reflected, “it gives me hope, and it gives me a determination to come out here and hopefully be here in the next couple years.”

Caldwell said he expects to head out to the Arizona Complex League in the next few days, and spend a few months getting “settled” in the D-backs’ farm system before being evaluated.

“To make sure that he continues to progress through the system is entirely up to what he does each and every day, and he accepted that challenge, he’s excited to go out and take some BP today, and we’re all excited to watch him go to work as well,” Lovullo said.