Why Did It Take So Long To Count Ballots in Arizona?
(LibertySociety.com) – As the country waited on pins and needles to see who would come out victorious in Arizona after the midterm elections, a full six days later, the state finally announced a winner for the gubernatorial race. The question is: Why is the process so drawn out in that state?
The fact is, this isn’t a new problem. Days after the election in 2020, officials were still counting ballots. Back in 2018, counters also took six days to come to a final voting count.
What’s the Hold-up?
The simple answer to why it takes so long to count votes in Arizona and not necessarily in other locations is there are different laws in every state pertaining to the voting process. In The Grand Canyon State, voters are allowed to drop off their ballots on election day, but those votes can’t be counted that night. That fact alone holds up the process because the staff has to wait till after midnight to do their jobs. During the 2022 midterms, there were 290,000 ballots dropped off on November 8 in Maricopa County alone — a jurisdiction that saw 1.3 million ballots this election cycle.
Volunteers must check signatures on every vote cast, scan it, then send it to a “bipartisan board” before it’s counted. The meticulous system takes time. Plus, that’s only for the ballots received on election day. There are also votes cast before the official polls open, and those must be processed as well. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said there were about 100,000 more votes brought in on November 8 than in 2020. He stated it was the “highest number of early ballots” in his county — ever. This year, there was an additional wrinkle of a printer problem holding up the tabulation. The problem is, that was only one county; other areas in the state counted their votes using a similar process.
In addition, officials also have provisional ballots to contend with from voters who either didn’t have identification or records show they already “voted by mail.” An overwhelming number of people, upwards of 80%, vote by mail in Arizona, causing that state, in particular, to require extra time to ensure every vote is counted. The process used in this area and others like California and Nevada have many across the country questioning the validity of such elections.
Elections Sow Doubt
After the current midterms, Sean Hannity called the system “broken” and “shattered.” The TV show host didn’t understand why Arizona was taking so long to count, as were many across the nation. Hannity said it was “idiotic” that so many races were still going on well after the polls closed.
The personality’s solution is to declare election day a “national holiday,” and require every American, with a few exceptions, to cast a paper ballot on that day only.
What do you think about that solution? Do you believe every state should have consistent laws when it comes to voting, or should each keep its own laws?
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