Arizona Lawmakers Advancing Bills that Help Would Produce Faster Election Results
In recent elections, Arizona has struggled to finalize results in a timely manner. Ballot counting dragged on for days after polls closed, frustrating voters and contributing to distrust in the process. The Arizona Legislature is now pursuing changes to the state’s election law that would help reduce the amount of time it takes to finish counting votes by changing the deadline for returning early ballots in person at polling locations from 7:00 p.m. on Election Day to 7:00 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day. If approved, these changes would help Arizona take a meaningful step toward producing faster election results and bolstering voter confidence.
Both the Senate and the House took action on proposals that include this change during the first month of this year’s legislative session, with the Senate Judiciary and Elections Committee advancing SB1011 and the House Committee on Federalism, Military Affairs and Elections advancing HB2673 and HCR2013. All three were approved on party lines, with Republicans supporting and Democrats opposed. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has signaled her opposition to the changes, which is likely why the House packaged them as both a ballot referral that would go straight to voters in 2026 (HCR2013) and a regular bill that would require Hobbs’ signature (HB2673).
The central issue contributing to delayed results is early voting. Arizonans currently have access to a wide range of options for voting on or before Election Day. This includes 27 days of in-person early voting and a mail voting system where voters can return their ballots by mail or deliver them to designated polling sites or county election offices at any time until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. These options increase opportunities for Arizonans to participate in elections; however, certain aspects of the early voting process contribute to delays in finalizing results—ultimately providing an opening for false information to spread and confidence in the election process to fall.
The pending legislative proposals address one of the main contributors to delayed reporting: the high volume of early ballots dropped off at polling sites on Election Day. Over 260,000 Arizonans voted this way during the 2024 election. Early ballots take longer to process than those cast in the voting booth because additional steps are required, such as verifying signatures and removing ballots from security envelopes. Arizona is already one of 12 states that permit election workers to process and tabulate early ballots prior to Election Day, so giving county officials four additional days to process and tabulate early votes before polls close sets the stage for faster results.
Importantly, SB1011, HCR2013, and HB2673 all retain the existing Election Day deadline for mail ballots and an option for voters to return early ballots in person on Election Day at the county election office. Keeping the in-person return option in place on a limited basis strikes a reasonable balance of accommodating special circumstances without incentivizing voters to submit ballots at the last minute.
The three bills also include other policy changes to improve Arizona’s election system, but the adjustment to the deadline for returning early ballots is likely to deliver the greatest impact on speeding up results with the least amount of disruption for voters. Enacting this change would help pave the way for fast, accurate election results and improved trust in Arizona’s elections.