"We want to make sure that this is a secure process, but we also want to make sure that it is an accurate process," Liewer said.
Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates said the tabulation may take so long because the ballot is two pages, there are dozens of contests per ballot, and there is heightened interest in the presidential election. He said more than 2.1 million Maricopa voters are expected to cast their ballot for the Nov. 5 contest, noting that 400,000 people so far have voted.
The "top message for voters" on Oct. 22 is "if you want to save time and avoid lines, vote early," the county wrote on social media platform X.
Assistant Maricopa County Manager Zach Schira warned voters about the potential for longer lines.
"If I have one message for voters here today, it is this: That the longer ballots and higher interest in this 2024 general election will create longer lines on Election Day, and that's okay," he said. "But if you want to save time and you want to avoid those lines, vote early, either in person or by mail. That'll save you time, and it'll help us report more results on election night."
To help streamline operations, election officials are increasing staffing, adding high-speed tabulators, and encouraging in-person voting on Election Day instead of dropping off early ballots. (Related: Supreme Court partially upholds Arizona law requiring documentary proof of citizenship for state-level voter registration.)
Expect another close race in Arizona
State election officials in 2020 certified the race in Arizona for Joe Biden over President Donald Trump by a margin of about 11,000 votes.
In the aftermath of the 2020 contest, former President Donald Trump and other Republicans alleged that Arizona’s election was marred by voter fraud, sparking a number of lawsuits against Arizona and Maricopa County officials that were all ultimately dismissed.
For that election, county officials were able to certify the results a full 17 days after the election. A significant number of voters cast their ballots early in person or by mail due to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and associated stay-at-home and lockdown orders and rules.
Maricopa County, which encompasses the city of Phoenix, is by far the most populous area in Arizona. As of March, it had more than 4.5 million residents, which is more than half the state's entire population. The Maricopa County Recorder's Office reports that the county has over 2.4 million registered and active voters.
As Election Day draws closer, county officials anticipate a significant number of voters dropping off mail-in ballots, which could further extend the counting timeline due to security measures such as signature verification. Gates warned that the county expects to receive between 300,000 and 500,000 mail-in ballots.
Watch this video warning about the legal battle over the election in Arizona.
This video is from the KryptoKing187 channel on Brighteon.com.
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