Here’s what to know about Election Day for Maricopa County jurisdictional elections

PHOENIX — Dozens of voting locations opened across metro Phoenix on Tuesday, Election Day for jurisdictional elections in six Maricopa County cities and 23 school districts.

Most of the sites stay open until voting ends at 7 p.m., but a few of the drop boxes are in buildings that close earlier.

The full list of Election Day vote centers and drop boxes, with estimated wait times and hours of operation, can be found at Locations.Maricopa.Vote.

“You can take the ballot that you’ve already received by mail and you can drop it off at a voting location, or you can show up and get a new ballot printed,” Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Tuesday morning.

When will Maricopa County election results be released?

Because it’s an “all-mail” election, there are no tabulators at the vote centers. Instead, all ballots are being counted at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.

The first batch of results will be released at 8 p.m., and additional results will be made available as they are processed.

Who is voting in Maricopa County jurisdictional elections?

On Oct. 11, the county mailed ballots to all 1.9 million registered voters living in the participating jurisdictions, even those who aren’t on the Active Early Voting List.

Maricopa County
November 7, 2023 Jurisdictional Elections

Ballots returned as of COB Nov. 6: 403,757

(About 1.9 million eligible for these elections)

— Stephen Richer—MaricopaCountyRecorder (prsnl acct) (@stephen_richer) November 7, 2023

Drop boxes were made available the day ballots were sent out, and in-person vote centers started operating Oct. 30. Ballots could also be returned through the U.S. Postal Service, but it’s too late for that method because ballots received after 7 p.m. Tuesday don’t get counted.

By the close of business Monday, nearly 404,000 ballots had been returned.

Voters who sign up for ballot status updates by texting JOIN to 628-683 or visiting BeBallotReady.Vote can receive notifications when their ballots have been received and counted.

What’s on the ballot for Maricopa County jurisdictional elections?

While the turnout is much lower for jurisdictional elections than when candidates are on the ballot, Richer said they are still important.

“Most of them concern your school districts or your cities,” he said. “We have bonds on the ballot, we have overrides on the ballot, a lot of things related to the budgets of local jurisdictions.”

Five Maricopa County cities – El Mirage, Glendale, Goodyear, Phoenix and Surprise – have bond questions on their jurisdictional election ballots. Litchfield Park residents are voting on whether to adopt a city charter, and they also are electing 14 members to the Board of Freeholders to guide the charter formation process.

In addition, 23 Valley school districts are holding elections on bonds, M&O (maintenance and operation) and DAA (district additional assistance) overrides, and lease/sale/exchanges.

Some jurisdictions have multiple bond questions.

Here’s the list of school districts with issues on the ballots:

• Agua Fria Union: Bond.
• Alhambra Elementary: Lease/site sale/exchange.
• Avondale Elementary: Bond.
• Deer Valley Unified: Bond; M&O override.
• Fountain Hills Unified: Bond; lease/site sale/exchange.
• Fowler Elementary: M&O override.
• Gila Bend Unified: M&O override.
• Gilbert Unified: Bond; M&O override.
• Glendale Elementary: Bond; M&O override; DAA override; Lease/site sale
  exchange.
• Kyrene Elementary: Bond; DAA override.
• Liberty Elementary: Bond.
• Litchfield Elementary: Bond.
• Littleton Elementary: M&O override.
• Madison Elementary: Bond; M&O override.
• Mesa Public Schools: Bond; M&O override.
• Osborn Elementary: Bond; M&O override.
• Paradise Valley Unified: Bond.
• Pendergast Elementary: Bond; M&O override.
• Phoenix Union: Bond.
• Queen Creek Unified: Bond; M&O override; DAA override.
• Scottsdale Unified: M&O override.
• Tolleson Elementary: Bond.
• Tolleson Union: Bond.

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