Election results could take up to 13 days, Maricopa County warns

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Maricopa County early ballots (file)

PHOENIX - This election, Maricopa County voters face the potential for long lines at the polls on Election Day, in addition to delayed election results.

Here's what to know.

Why are we anticipating long lines and delays in results?

There are a number of reasons as to why people are expecting such things to happen.

Ballot length

A look at a sample two page ballot that is similar to the one that some voters will vote on during the November 2024 general election in Arizona.

One of the reasons involves the rather long ballot Maricopa County voters will get.

"For the first time since 2006 here in Maricopa County, we have a two-page ballot, and we have races on both sides of those," said Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates. "We’re talking about four different sides of contests. 79 contests, on average. We anticipate that it will take people a little bit longer."

Tabulation may also be delayed as some voters may be waiting in lines long after the polls close. Under Arizona law, qualified voters who are in line at the moment polls close are allowed to vote.

New law

A new law in Arizona could also result in delays in results.

The law, written by Republican State Rep. Alex Kolodin, first requires poll workers wait for the polls to close. Afterwards, they need to hand count all the green envelope ballots that were dropped off. The ballots are then delivered to the elections center, where the signatures are verified, and the votes counted.

"So that we know where every ballot has been, where it's gone, how many ballots were at each stage of the process, that they all match, that there were no extra ballots put into the system," said State Rep. Kolodin.

State Rep. Kolodin said it should take 45 minutes to a couple of hours for poll workers to count the dropped-off green envelope ballots.

Will we know who is President on election night?

Election experts say the idea the country will know who will be the next President by Tuesday night is beyond just wishful thinking.

In Arizona, if the election office finds an error on the voter's ballot, that voter has five days to fix it. Election workers say the whole process of processing the ballots could take up to two weeks.