Maricopa County plans to have 99% of ballots counted by the Friday after Election Day

Maricopa County election officials plan to tabulate nearly all ballots by the start of the weekend after Election Day this year, but that still may not be enough to satisfy critics who want to know the winners immediately in Arizona’s increasingly-tight statewide races.

“So our goal is to have upwards of 99% of our ballots reported by the Friday after Election Day,” Scott Jarrett, the county’s elections director, told the Board of Supervisors on Monday.

During the county’s last major election in 2024, it had around 84% of ballots counted by the Friday after Election Day.

The speed at which Maricopa County, the nation’s fifth largest county, counts votes has made headlines in recent years, as Arizona transformed into a battleground state with competitive presidential, congressional and statewide elections.

Critics have questioned why it takes Arizona, and Maricopa County specifically, a week or more to tabulate all ballots, while states like Florida find out their winners much more quickly. That’s prompted Republican lawmakers to propose a slate of changes in an attempt to speed up Arizona’s results.

Some of those proposals could end up on the ballot this year after Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed similar legislation.

On par with other jurisdictions

Election officials have long said that people upset about perceived delays are confusing the county’s official certification with race calls made by media outlets like the Associated Press or Fox News, which are unofficial projections.

Arizona’s high-profile races have tended to be extremely close in recent years, with many candidates winning office by just a few thousand – or few hundred, in one case – votes. That means those networks have to wait longer to make their predictions than states with larger margins, like Florida.

“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,” former Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates said ahead of the 2024 elections.

Officials have repeatedly pointed out that it has long taken the county an average of 10 to 13 days to fully count votes, which is on par with other jurisdictions.

Still, Jarrett said state and county officials have taken steps to speed up vote counting anyway, as election officials expect another two-page ballot packed with proposed laws sent to the ballot by state lawmakers.

A similar two-page ballot caused some processing delays in 2024.

“So one of the things that we're doing to try to minimize the impact of that is we're creating a second shift,” Jarrett said, referring to the election workers who will process ballots for the 2026 general election.

The county is also hopeful that a 2024 state law designed to mitigate so-called “late early” ballots will help speed up results, though it’s unclear what effect it will have.

Those “late earlies” are mail-in ballots that a voter opts to return in person on Election Day.

In the past, those ballots still had to go through the same lengthy verification process as any other-in ballot, including signature verification, leading to vote counting delays.

However, the 2024 law now requires election officials to give voters the option to show a valid ID and have that ballot counted immediately, which speeds up the process. But the law is voluntary, stating voters dropping off a mail-in ballot in person “may” opt to show their ID instead. In that case, it will be stamped “ID verified” and then counted.

That means election officials don’t know how many voters will actually opt-in to immediate verification, which can require voters to wait in long lines rather than immediately drop off their sealed mail-in ballot at a drop box or polling place.

“I understand why it was done, but it creates that awful uncertainty that is difficult to budget around in terms of voters converting to Election Day voters,” Supervisor Kate Brophy McGee said. “What percent are you anticipating under the ‘may’ statute, and will they make their appearance then on Election Day?”

'Convenience rules the day'

Jarrett said that during mock election tests, 30% of Election Day voters chose to have their ballot processed immediately.

“I do not anticipate it will be anywhere close to that,” he said.

He said participation may be higher during the primary election when lines are shorter.

“However, for the general election, I am anticipating there being some lines, right?” Jarrett said. When you have 250,000 to 260,000 voters turning out, it's normal to have 10, 15, 20 minute lines. And, for most people, convenience rules the day, right?”

Still, Jarrett expressed confidence that the county can hit its goal to have 99% of ballots reported by the Friday after the election.

He said the county can’t hit 100% by Friday, because state law requires counties to give voters with mail-in ballots some time to verify their identity if the county recorder’s office cannot verify the signature on their envelopes.

That time frame, also called a curing period, lasts five days.

“Likewise, if someone shows up on Election Day, and they didn't have sufficient ID, then they're issued a conditional provisional (ballot),” Jarrett said. “They also have that five-day period post Election Day to be able to cure that provisional ballot.”

That means, even if the county does manage to count 99% of its ballots by Friday, media outlets still may not be able to predict winners in Arizona’s closest races this November.

“The media won't be calling those results until every last ballot is counted,” Jarrett said.