It’s not just about you: Arizona election results are taking a long time

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Arizona could be the last state called for the 2024 presidential election.

Why is it taking so long to get results in Arizona?

Each state has different voting laws. Arizona has additional levels of verification and options for voters.

“People who seem upset about this think it’s an indicator of fraud, when in fact it’s the opposite,” said Gina Roberts with Citizens are clean election commission.

The long wait is not because election officials and workers are stalling.

“They work as hard and as fast as they can, but they still have to follow the law and ensure the integrity of the election,” Roberts said.

This is difficult when ballots are delivered in multiple ways. Arizona stands out in allowing voters to opt out of early voting on Election Day.

“The majority of Arizona voters choose this method to return their ballots,” Roberts said. “We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of voters.”

“Late-early”, as they are called, require extra time.

“It’s one thing if you go to the polls on Election Day and vote right then and there, and you can put your ballot through the tabulator because it counts it instantly,” Roberts said. “The next step is if you voted early and returned your ballot early, the county has time to process it because all early ballots must be processed, meaning the county must scan the barcode to verify that you have not previously voted.

“They have to confirm that your signature matches the signature on your written early vote application, so they verify your identity, and that’s important, no matter how someone votes, their identity is always verified. It then has to be handed over to a bipartisan team that opens the ballot, inspects it, makes sure it’s not damaged, makes sure it’s for a valid election, and then sends it into the tabulation room,” Roberts explained.

After Election Day, there are even more federal and state laws to comply with.

Nov. 11 is the first day allowed by state law that the county can canvass the election. The 15 counties must send their final results to the Arizona Secretary of State on Nov. 25 to make them official.

“It’s always been this way, we’ve always had these deadlines, but voters feel like it’s taking longer because so many more voters choose to turn in their ballots on Election Day—and given the density of our electorate, it may be harder for the media to call the election.” said Roberts.

News outlets, including 13 News, are not making such predictions until a candidate in Arizona has no path to victory.

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