Why does Arizona take so long to count ballots on and after Election Day?
PHOENIX - Although the presidential race is declared, voters in the Grand Canyon State still have a pressing question – why do we still not have all of the Election Day results?
"I’m being patient," said one voter. "Just watching as it comes in."
As of Nov. 8, there are nearly half a million ballots remain to be counted, including 210,000 ballots that were dropped off on Election Day.
It comes down to four main factors
- Maricopa County's size
- The political makeup of Arizona
- The length of the ballot
- Voting laws were written and passed by Republicans
Maricopa County, the largest in the state, is also the second largest in the nation. It’s only behind Los Angeles County, which is reliably Democrat. Maricopa County, on the other hand, has become more purple, making our races tighter and closer.
MORE: Election results could take up to 13 days, Maricopa County warns
This year, we also had a two-page ballot, which takes a while to process.
"First, we have to make sure that there are in fact two: a page one of two, and a page two of two," said Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer. "This is important for the integrity of the process."
Additionally, a convergence of our laws – convenience and accuracy – slows things down.
"One of the issues that poll workers have at the polls: as those late-earlies are coming in, we have to hand-count those at the polling location, or account for them before they get transferred to central tabulation, so that does bog down the process a little bit," said Pinal County Recorder Dana Lewis.
Mail ballots take longer to count because they need to be scanned, sorted and signature verified. Voters can return mail ballots by the close of polls on Election Day. One-fifth of voters did that in 2022.
An election worker removes a ballot from an envelope to count and inspect the pages inside the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC) on Election Day, November 5, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona. Pairs of election workers from different pol
State law allows the signature to be "cured" five days after Election Day, which means if the election office thinks the signature or some other detail is wrong, the voter has five more days to come in and fix it so the ballot counts.
Simply put, states that count faster, like Florida, have different laws. Florida cuts off early ballot drop-off at polling places on the Friday before Election Day. Not a lot of people vote that way as a result, and state law requires counties to finish counting early ballots by 7 p.m. the day before Election Day.
That means when the polls close, the process is already well underway and results can be posted quickly.
Here in Arizona, it’s just beginning for us. Ultimately, it comes down to what people prioritize in elections: convenience of mail? Speed of the results? All are factors for voters to consider.