It takes days to finalize election results in Arizona. Here’s why

It’s the never-fail complaint the day after an Arizona election: It takes so long to get results.

“Why is Arizona so far behind in counting votes?” a Reddit user asked journalists from The Arizona Republic in an AMA conversation Wednesday.

Blame the early ballots that get dropped off on Election Day at the polls. Stir in increasingly competitive contests, and it adds up to days’ worth of waiting for a definitive result. Maricopa County estimated vote counting would run 10-13 days before every ballot is counted.

But help is on the way, if voters are willing to exercise a little patience.

A speedier option

Starting in 2026, voters who are rushing to drop off their early ballot on Election Day have the option of showing their ID at the polls, opening their early ballot envelope on site and feeding the ballot into the vote-counting machine.

That way, the ballot will get immediately recorded, saving hours of time that currently goes to checking the validity of the voter signature on the ballot envelope.

This is the result of a bipartisan bill lawmakers approved in February. It’s intended to speed up the voting counting process.

But there’s a hitch: It’s optional and it remains to be seen if voters showing up close to the voting deadline will slow down to stand in a line and show ID.

Rep. Alexander Kolodin, who sponsored the bill that made the change, said if voters understand that the tradeoff of taking a few extra minutes at the polls would speed up results, the new procedure could end many of the complaints.

“The more voters who choose to present ID, it can only be a plus,” the Scottsdale Republican said. He noted voter behavior can shift quickly: He pointed to GOP voters, who four years ago were urged to spurn early voting. This year, they got the opposite message and they embraced it.

That was proven by returns that showed Republicans outpacing Democrats in turning in their early ballots early.

Days of waiting is routine

The delay that has become a hallmark of Arizona elections is due to the many options Arizona offers its voters. They can get a mail-in ballot and return it via the mail, pop it in a drop box, or take it in person to an early voting center.

Then there’s the late-early voter.

“We have a substantial number of voters who take their early ballot and they kind of keep it on their kitchen counter for like three weeks, ” Kolodin said.

As Election Day nears, they realize they haven’t voted and they use yet another option: dropping it off at the polls. It’s quick and easy; they can avoid the line and deposit their sealed ballot in a box at the local vote center.

But those ballots take time to process because election officials have to verify that the signature on the ballot envelope matches that on the voting register. Verification can take time, especially if there are questions about the signature. The law allows five days to “cure” such ballots.

On Tuesday, 225,118 early ballots got dropped off at the vote centers in Maricopa County, the state’s most populous.

There’s also the factor of close elections. The Arizona state legislative races this year are a prime example. As of late Wednesday afternoon, Senate candidates in the east Phoenix/Scottsdale Legislative District 4 are separated by just 38 votes with 700,000 ballots yet to be counted in Maricopa County.

Two years ago, it took until late December for Democrat Kris Mayes to be declared state attorney general. She won by 280 votes after an automatic recount.

Donald Trump holds a 112,176-vote lead over Kamala Harris in the race where 2.3 million votes have been cast thus far and hundreds of thousands of Arizona ballots have yet to be counted.

Make early ballots come in early

Kolodin said he’s toying with legislation that could further accelerate the vote count.

It would require all early ballots to be returned in advance of Election Day, such as the Friday before. That would give county election officials time to verify the voter signature on the envelopes and get the ballots ready for tabulation ahead of the Election Day rush.

If a ballot were not in by that cutoff date, the voter would have to go to the polls on Election Day to cast a ballot.

It’s an idea that’s been broached before. It takes away one of the very convenient aspects of Arizona voting. But it would reduce the complaints and queries that, for decades, have followed an Arizona election.

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @maryjpitzl.

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