Only a few thousand primary ballots remain uncounted in Maricopa County

Over 99% of all ballots cast for Tuesday’s election in Maricopa County were tabulated by Wednesday night, officials said.

“Multiple factors made this milestone possible just a little over 24 hours following the close of polls, beginning with the tireless efforts of poll workers and elections staff who worked through the night,” Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Kate Brophy McGee said in a statement. “Voters themselves also played a role, as many chose to exercise a new option available this cycle that enables them to prove their identity and tabulate their early ballot in the vote center rather than dropping it off to be validated and counted post-election.”

The new option “significantly” cut the number of early ballots needing signature verification after the polls closed, Brophy McGee said.

The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office announced Wednesday morning that it completed signature verification in record time.

Recorder Justin Heap said the last batch of ballots requiring signature verification arrived at 2:40 a.m., and the verification was completed by 8 a.m.

“A huge thank you to the dedicated staff who came in at 2 a.m. to ensure we delivered the fast, accurate, and transparent results we promised Maricopa County voters,” Heap said in a post on X. “The verified ballots have now been transferred to the Board’s Election Department for tabulation.”

🚨ELECTION UPDATE:
Despite receiving the final batch of late-early ballots at 2:40 a.m., my Office completed signature verification on all Election Day early ballots by 8:00 a.m.

A huge thank you to the dedicated staff who came in at 2:00 a.m. to ensure we delivered the fast,… https://t.co/IAEWigKheM

— Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap (@azjustinheap) July 22, 2026

How many ballots remain uncounted in Maricopa County?

The Elections Department for Arizona’s largest county said it had tabulated 674,368 ballots as of Wednesday night, a number that represents 26.5% of eligible voters in the state’s largest county.

An estimated 5,912 ballots remained to be counted, broken down as follows:

• 2,900 awaiting curing.
• 952 provisional ballots that will only be counted if they are verified as being cast by eligible voters.
• 2,060 were processed and just waiting to be counted.

What happens to early ballots with signature issues?

Curing is the process of rectifying signature verification issues. Under state law, the curing period for the 2026 primary election ends at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Election officials are contacting all voters whose ballot envelope signatures were flagged during the verification process. Additionally, Maricopa County voters can log on to BeBallotReady.Vote to check the status of their ballots if they have questions. Voters whose signatures are being questioned will find details and a link to the signature verification process.

Voters across the state can find information about signing up for early ballot status updates through their counties at Arizona.Vote.

Find statewide primary election results here and Maricopa County results here.

The primary winners will face in the general election on Nov. 3.

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