What to Expect When You Mail Your Early Ballot

Voters in Arizona must act quickly to request an early ballot, as the deadline is set for October 25. Ballots should be mailed by October 29 to ensure timely arrival ahead of Election Day.

Arizona has long embraced early voting and mail-in ballots, transitioning from an absentee ballot system that required voters to state a hardship. This change took place in 1991, paving the way for broader access to early voting.

By 1997, the terminology shifted from “absentee” to “early” voting. In 2007, the state introduced a Permanent Early Voting List, simplifying the process for voters who prefer to cast their ballots early without needing to request a mail-in ballot for each election.

In terms of participation, early voting patterns vary. Currently, in-person voting is up 170% compared to 2016, yet remains 9% lower than in 2020. In contrast, mail-in ballot returns in Maricopa County are lagging behind both 2020 and 2022 figures, according to Maricopa County Recorder spokeswoman, Taylor Kinnerup.

Kinnerup noted the challenges in comparing this cycle to past elections, particularly due to the introduction of a two-page ballot, a first since 2006. This change may influence voter behavior regarding ballot submissions.

Maricopa County is witnessing a remarkable diversity in ballots, with approximately 13,572 unique options. Each ballot includes an average of 79 contests, ranging from the presidential election to various local and judicial races.

As of October 22, Arizona has recorded 319,837 ballots returned, with 187,882 from Maricopa County alone. Notably, Republicans are leading Democrats by over 19,000 ballots returned, although Democratic turnout is slightly higher at 9.56%, compared to 9.22% for Republicans. Approximately 4.4% of politically affiliated voters have cast ballots early.

Once a ballot is mailed back, Maricopa County personnel collect it from USPS and dropboxes. These ballots are forwarded to Runbeck, the printing company responsible for scanning and verifying signatures, ensuring against double voting.

Importantly, the physical ballots remain unseen by Runbeck staff during this process. Election workers only access the ballots after verifying signatures on the envelopes.

If verification fails, elections officials will contact the voter to clarify the authenticity of the returned affidavit. After complete verification, ballots are moved from secure storage for tabulation.

During tabulation, bipartisan teams oversee the separation of ballots and envelopes, reinforcing the integrity of the voting process. If any ballot is unreadable or contains an overvote, it undergoes adjudication, where a bipartisan team assesses the voter’s intent.

The final tabulated results are securely stored on air-gapped computer servers, ensuring they remain disconnected from the internet. Access to these servers is restricted to high-ranking non-elected election officials until Election Day. The results from early ballots will be the first to be published on election night.

Voters seeking information about their ballots can visit the county website to review their content, aiding both early voters and those planning to vote on Election Day. To confirm registration, check mailing status, or request a mail-in ballot, citizens can utilize BeBallotReady.Vote.