Arizona election officials say to get early ballots in mail by Tuesday
Oct 26, 2020, 11:15 AM
People walk to cast their ballots during Arizona's primary election at Biltmore Fashion Park on August 4, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Getty Images Photo/Courtney Pedroza)
(Getty Images Photo/Courtney Pedroza)
PHOENIX – Arizona officials say voters should get their early ballots in the mail by Tuesday to ensure they count in next week’s election.
It’s the final deadline of the state’s 2020 election season timeline prior to Election Day a week later.
Ballots must be received at county election offices before polls close at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3.
Oct. 15 was the registration deadline, and Oct. 23 was the last day to request an early ballot or sign up for the state’s permanent early voting.
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Registered voters who don’t get their early ballots in the mail on time, or who prefer to vote in person, don’t have to wait until Election Day.
Early ballots can be dropped off at any voting center or secure drop box until the polls close.
In-person voters can also cast their ballots early at any voting center in their county.
“There are in-person early voting sites across the state. The number of locations and hours of operation vary by county, so make sure to find a place that works for you,” Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said in a press release Friday.
“We are encouraging people to make a plan, and to vote early, to help maintain a safe and secure election.”
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For official information about how to vote, including drop box and voting center locations and hours, visit Arizona.Vote.
Early voting began Oct. 7, and the tabulation process started last week.
Through Friday, more than 1.3 million Arizona ballots were cast in person or submitted by mail or drop-off, according to Phoenix-based research firm Data Orbital’s early voting tracker.
Of those, 42.7% came from registered Democrats, 33.6% from Republicans and 23.7% from independents.
Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes said the first batch of unofficial results will be released at 8 p.m. on Election Day, an hour after polls close.
Ballots that arrive before the end of October are expected to be among those included in the initial report, he told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show last week.
The results from ballots cast in person on Election Day will trickle in over the course of the night, he said.
Early ballots that are received, either via drop-off or the Postal Service, from Nov. 1 until Election Day won’t be tabulated until the days after the election.
