It could take around two weeks to learn the results of some races in Arizona’s upcoming November elections, something election officials from around the state say is completely normal.
Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates said Arizona’s status as a swing state brings extra focus on how long it takes to count votes, even though many states take weeks to finalize election results.
“But again … the networks can call these races on election night or early the next day, because the races aren't as close as they are in Maricopa County and Arizona more broadly,” Gates said.
Gates said he expects 95% of ballots in his county to be tabulated by the end of the week after the Nov. 5 election but said it takes an average of 10 to 13 days to finalize the count in Maricopa County, which became a hotbed of disproven voter fraud conspiracy theories in the wake of the 2020 election.
“It unfortunately does lead to people speculating about what might be going on,” Gates said. “But number one, I come back to this, I will 100 out of 100 times take accuracy over speed.”
Several factors can lead to those delays, including a rule in Arizona allowing voters to drop off early ballots on Election Day.
“That is a right that folks have in Arizona,” Gates said. “We anticipate anywhere from 300,000 to 500,000 of these mail in ballots will be dropped off on Election Day.”
Election officials can’t just count those ballots like those filled out by other Election Day voters, because they still must go through the signature verification process through the County Recorder’s Office, a process that can take days.
The length of ballots could also lead to delays, election officials said.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said nine of the state’s 15 counties will have two-page ballots this year.
Gates said, in his county, the average ballot will feature 79 contests.
In order to avoid delays on Election Day, Pima County Elections Director Constance Hargrove said in-person voters should make a plan to educate themselves before heading to the polls.
“They need to look at the propositions, they need to study the candidates,” Hargrove said. “They definitely need to know what is on their ballots, get a sample ballot, go through it, be prepared for Election Day, so they're not in a voting booth for 15 to 20 minutes.”
The two-page ballot could also affect polling places that tabulate ballots on site.
“It does increase the possibility that there could be issues,” Gates said.
He added that the county spent $9 million on new ballot printers. That came after well-documented printer issues in 2022 led to tabulation problems and delays.
But Gates said that, just like in 2022, if a jam occurs, voters can deposit their ballot in a secure drop box. Those ballots will then be tabulated at the county’s main election center.
The two-page ballot could create confusion for early voters, too, Hargove said.
She urged voters to pay special attention when preparing their ballots to ensure they put both sheets into the return envelope. If voters only return one sheet, those votes will still be counted.
“What we receive is what we will count, so if you send back one card, we will process that card as your vote,” Hargrove said.
She also said those living in households with more than one voter need to make sure they don’t mix up ballot sheets and return them in the wrong envelopes.
“So it's very important to make sure that you're not mixing up your ballots,” Hargrove said. “You're making sure that there's a card one and a card two in the envelope, because if we see two card twos or two card ones, we have no choice but to reject it, because we have no idea who the other card belongs to.”
The last day to register to vote before the November election is Oct. 7, and counties will begin mailing early ballots on Oct. 9.
