Arizona’s Election Results Hold Up: Counties Face Surprising Ballot Counting Issues

Delays in ballot counting across Arizona are causing uncertainty in several key races. As of Thursday night, results remain unreported for multiple congressional, statewide, and local contests, including a critical U.S. Senate race.

Voter advocates are expressing concerns over the timing, warning that inadequate opportunities for voters to address ballot issues may arise. As of the latest updates, four of Arizona’s 15 counties—Cochise, Pima, Yavapai, and Yuma—report significant portions of uncounted ballots, with more than 25% still pending a count.

Maricopa County, the state’s largest, had approximately 20% of its ballots uncounted, which includes 274,000 mail-in ballots awaiting signature verification. The unusually long, two-page ballots have contributed to the slow counting process, especially in counties like Maricopa and Pima where removing and inspecting mail ballots has proven time-consuming.

Some counties are facing unique challenges. For instance, Cochise County is hindered by mechanical issues with its tabulators, leaving 57% of its ballots still to count. According to JP Martin, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office, only a handful of ballots could be processed at a time, though a technician is on-site to assist with the problem.

In Yavapai and Pinal counties, complications arose from unclear voter markings, prolonging the tabulation of Election Day results. While Pinal County took a full day to count polling place ballots, Yavapai only completed its tally by Friday morning.

Yavapai County Elections Director Laurin Custis acknowledged the public’s eagerness for results, stating that the election office is doing its utmost to expedite the process. Meanwhile, Yuma County reported 40% of its ballots uncounted as of the latest update, with no clear reason provided for the delay.

A coalition of voting rights organizations is advocating for an extension of the deadline for voters to correct issues related to mismatched or missing signatures on mail-in ballots. The current law stipulates that voters have until Sunday to address these problems, but with many signatures yet to be reviewed, the urgency is apparent.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, the coalition expressed support for all efforts ensuring voters have sufficient time to resolve signature issues, emphasizing the importance of counting every vote. “We support community groups and candidates of any party fighting for voters’ rights to have adequate time to respond,” the groups stated.