Arizona set to certify state election results by December
Nov 17, 2022, 4:45 AM | Updated: 9:34 am
An election worker gathers tabulated ballots to be boxed inside the Maricopa County Recorders Office, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
PHOENIX — The ballot count in Arizona from last week’s midterm election is nearing the end but it could be weeks before the results are certified.
As of Wednesday evening, there were about 25,000 uncounted ballots statewide. All 15 counties must get their results approved by their board of supervisors and sent over to the secretary of state’s office by Nov. 28.
“Our office then has until Dec. 5 to compile that into the statewide canvass, at which time the secretary [of state], along with the governor, the attorney general and the chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court will certify those canvass results,” Arizona Assistant Secretary of State Allie Bones told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
After the certification of the results, if any statewide races are separated by a margin less than or equal to 0.5%, the secretary of state will petition the court to order a recount.
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“The counties will then program their equipment to only tabulate results for the races in which there is a recount,” Bones said, adding that the secretary of state’s office would conduct “logic and accuracy testing to ensure that the machines are tabulating the contest correctly.”
The races for attorney general and state superintendent of public instruction currently remain close enough to trigger an automatic recount under Arizona election law.
During the recount process, the counties would have live streams available for the public to watch and political observers would be present.
“It is illegal for the counties to release any results on a daily basis like they do now,” Bones said.
“They cannot do that during a recount process. At the end of the recount is when the final results will be reported to the court, and then the court will announce the results.”
She added the goal would be to complete the recount process by Dec. 23, which would be just a few days before candidates are sworn in.
“Constitutionally the swearing-in has to happen Jan. 2, so it’s not a whole lot of time in between,” Bones said.
