Most races settled, but vote-counting still not done

Although the election's been decided, your vote may not have been counted yet.

Election officials in Maricopa County and other locations are still going through some ballots.

"We still have to process the ballots that were dropped off at the polling places or that we received by 7 p.m. on Election Day," said Yvonne Reed with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.. "We still have to process the provisional ballots and the conditional provisional ballots and all of that takes time."

Write-in votes also must be verified and counted.

"If it wasn't a legitimate write-in, then we still have to process that ballot because the equipment doesn't recognize the name, it only recognizes that there was someone whose name was written in," Reed said.

Election officials had predicted an 80 percent turnout in the Valley.

"I think once we combine the early balloting and Election Day that we'll find we're very close to what the county recorder and elections director were predicting," said Reed.

A few polls in outlying areas reported lines Tuesday, Reed said, but people were orderly.

Election officials will meet within a few weeks to review the election and come up with ideas for improving procedures in 2010.