Phoenix, AZ— Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin of District 2 announced today a series of election administration reforms that will expedite the tabulation of ballots with the goal of 95% of results being tabulated by election night. Election officials were faced with numerous challenges this cycle including multi-page ballots, increased voter turnout, and a high number of early ballots dropped off on election day which prolonged processing and tabulation.
Although the tabulation of early ballots and election day ballots were done in accordance with state law and within the normal timeframe of previous elections, there is growing concern from the public about the time it takes for Arizona to tabulate ballots and call contested races. For those reasons Supervisor Galvin is the calling on the Arizona Legislature and Governor Hobbs to work on the following reforms which will alleviate many of the delays in current law:
- Move Up Cutoff Date for Early Ballot Drop Offs
- Use Government Buildings to Host Polling Sites
- Eliminate Emergency Voting for Saturday & Monday Before Election Day and Allow Everyone to Utilize In-Person Voting
“First and foremost, I am grateful to the election staff and community volunteers who have spent countless hours preparing and administering the 2024 election,” said Galvin.
“These dedicated individuals deserve our thanks for following the laws and regulations determined by state leaders. Unfortunately, they bear the brunt of unfounded criticism. Since election day, I’ve had productive conversations with Republican leaders at the Arizona Legislature who agree sensible and practical changes are needed to speed up processing while also protecting the integrity of the early voting system that most Arizonans utilize. By moving up the cutoff date for early ballot drop offs, using government buildings to host polling sites, and eliminate emergency voting for the Saturday and Monday prior to the election while allowing folks to vote in person, we can significantly speed up the process and have nearly 95% of ballots tabulated by election night. I urge the Arizona Legislature to make my “95/1 Plan” a top priority in 2025 and look forward to working with county and state leaders on these important reforms.”
INTERESTING. Maricopa County Supervisor @thomasgalvin is calling on state lawmakers to change the law to not allow early ballot drop-offs on Election Da, a main reason for delays.
— Jen Fifield (@JenAFifield) November 18, 2024
Supervisors haven't publicly said this before. Recorder @stephen_richer has said he supports this. pic.twitter.com/AC8d4gh7f1
