Maricopa County Recorder talks the many ways Arizonans can vote

MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. - Arizona is one of the states that has the highest number of mail-in ballots submitted during elections in and the county recorder says it's working because it's given every Arizonan a chance to vote.

When it comes to voting, the state has many options for its voters.

"When you've been doing something for so long, you get used to what works, what doesn't work and folks get used to it and they use it in our primaries. 94% was by mail-in ballots, which is what we call ballot-by-mail. Some people call it vote-by-mail, some people call it absentee ballot," explained Adrian Fontes, the Maricopa County Recorder.

Now with the national debate about whether to allow mail-in ballots in the upcoming presidential election, many are asking how Arizona's system fits in.

There's absentee voting for someone in the military or if a person is away on a trip overseas, then there's Arizona's mail-in ballot system that allows someone to request to have a ballot sent to them without any reason.

"Some people are shocked by the number ... some people are shocked by the incredible number of voting options that Arizona has. You can sign up one time for a ballot to be sent to you whether you were at home or anywhere else. You can get on the permanent early vote list and vote in person early before Election Day at any of our vote centers. You can just vote on Election Day," Fontes said of the many ways Arizonans can vote.

This year, he says many people have chosen the vote-by-mail option due to COVID-19. 

Republican Stephen Richer is running against Fontes in the Maricopa County Recorder election in November. He says Arizona's mail-in ballot system works as long as there is trust. 

"We've been doing it for a long time. I have a high level of confidence in the system and clearly so do our voters," Fontes said.

For more information on voting in Arizona, visit https://azsos.gov/elections/voting-election