Go behind the scenes to see how Maricopa County counts ballots

PHOENIX — Now that you’ve mailed in your ballot ahead of Tuesday’s election, do you wonder how it gets counted?

Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes released video over the weekend that pulled back the curtain on what may seem like a mysterious process.

In the video, which was posted to Facebook on Sunday morning, Fontes gives a tour of the county tabulation center.

The facilty was a beehive of activity, with workers scurrying about, boxes of ballots stacked up and machines whirring.

“It’s a little big hectic. It’s a little bit busy,” Fontes said in the video. “But, as you know, processing ballots can be a big deal.”

He went on to explain how votes are counted and how a ballot is handled when something on it can’t be properly read by the machines.

“If you make a mistake on your ballot, we want to make sure that your vote gets counted,” he said.

Fontes said more than a million ballots had been received and several hundred thousand more were expected.

Did you miss the deadline to mail back your early ballot? You can drop it off at any voting location before 7 p.m. on Election Day. Don't forget to sign your envelope before turning it in! 🗳️

For a list of #Vote Centers and Polling Locations, visit https://t.co/kiuJc9SSzJ. pic.twitter.com/8GWK7ybCa9

— Adrian Fontes (@RecorderFontes) November 5, 2018

“We’ll be working Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, on and on until we get this whole thing done,” he said.

You can track the status of your ballot at the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office website.

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