Why actor/comedian Rob Schneider says he might run for governor in Arizona

PHOENIX – Deuce Bigelow, Arizona governor? Actor/comedian Rob Schneider said he is so frustrated with how long it takes to count ballots in his home state that he might run for office.

It generally takes 10-13 days to count all the votes in Arizona under the state election laws that originated in the Republican-controlled state Legislature over the years.

This is nothing new, but it became a national issue in recent years as Arizona morphed from a Republican stronghold into a swing state. Now that statewide races, including for president, are so competitive, media outlets have to wait for more results to be reported before calling winners in Arizona than they did in the past, creating the impression to some that it’s taking longer to count ballots.

When Maricopa County officials mentioned the timeline during a pre-election press conference on Monday, Schneider, a Valley resident and prominent MAGA supporter, reacted with a partially all-caps rant on X.

“I will do EVERYTHING in my power to have ELECTION OFFICIALS THIS NEXT ELECTION CYCLE THAT CAN COUNT ALL BALLOTS BY THE END OF THE SAME DAY OF VOTING. Even if I have to run and become Governor myself,” he wrote.

DEAR Assistant County Manager Zach Schira,
As a resident of the great State of Arizona and more importantly a United States Citizen, WAITING DAYS FOR THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTION IN MARICOPA COUNTY IS UNACCEPTABLE.
We are NOT some BANANA REPUBLIC,
WE ARE THE UNITED STATES OF… https://t.co/W3IrWLiSxA

— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) November 4, 2024

Maricopa County official responds to Rob Schneider

For context, it’s worth noting that the governor doesn’t appoint election officials in Arizona. The secretary of state and county supervisor boards, who oversee elections, are all elected. The governor does, however, play a role in the final certification of election results after all the counting is done.

The post by Schneider, a “Saturday Night Live” alum and star of movies such as “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo,” “The Animal” and “The Hot Chick,” caught the eye one elected official who does oversee elections in Arizona: Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin.

Galvin, a Republican, responded Tuesday morning with a brief explanation of why it can take so long to tabulate ballots in one of the country’s largest voting jurisdictions.

Rob, thanks for watching the press conference. Maricopa County expects 400,000 ballot envelopes will be dropped off today. Those have to be verified, opened, & then 800,000 pages will be fed into tabulators. We have room if you want to help, Rob. You can do it! https://t.co/f1iQYj7xRr

— Thomas Galvin: Maricopa County Supervisor (@ThomasGalvin) November 5, 2024

“Maricopa County expects 400,000 ballot envelopes will be dropped off today. Those have to be verified, opened, & then 800,000 pages will be fed into tabulators,” Galvin posted.

The politician then invited Schneider to participate in the process, using the actor’s “You can do it!” catchphrase.

“We have room if you want to help, Rob. You can do it!” Galvin wrote.

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