What to expect for in-person voting in Maricopa County on Nov. 5

PHOENIX - With hours to go until Election Day, officials in Maricopa County say they are confident they are ready for whatever happens on Nov. 5.

On Nov. 4, officials held a news conference to discuss what voters can expect when heading to the polls.

"We understand that over the last four years, the eyes of the world have been on Maricopa County," said Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates.

According to County Recorder Stephen Richer, his office has received about 1.5 million ballots so far. They are expecting another 600,000 votes between Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, with an estimated turnout of about 2.1 million.

"We will move through that as thoroughly and accurately, while still doing that as fast as possible," said County Recorder Richer. "We will not cut corners on signature verification. There will not be a skipping of an audit cue. We will not cut corners on documenting ballot chain of custody, when we do ballot processing."

In 2024, voters in Maricopa County have a two-page ballot, which will take a while to process. Compliance with a new state law also means it will take more time to process the votes.

"That requires us to do a hand count of all of those green envelopes dropped off on Election Day," said County Supervisor Gates.  "The memory cards won’t be able to come in to our tabulation center until we’ve completed that."

As for security, Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner said threats or intimidation of any kind will not be tolerated.

"There is a difference between first amendment freedom of speech and committing a crime," Sheriff Skinner said. "In Maricopa County, there will be zero tolerance on anything related to criminal activity."

A voter drops a ballot into the ballot drop box at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC) in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 23, 2024. (Photo by OLIVIER TOURON/AFP via Getty Images)