Early Early Ballots?? Late Early Ballots??

 There seems to be massive/widespread confusion about when EARLY BALLOTS are counted in Arizona. And I blame the news media for at least perpetuating –if not causing—that confusion.

For the record, if, as an Arizona voter, you are on the Permanent Early Voter List (PEVL),  you mail your early ballot before the Friday before Election Day, and it is received at the County Recorder’s office by around noon on the Monday before Election Day, it is counted immediately.  Not saved until Election Day.  Not saved until the day after Election Day. 

I say “around noon” because as you know, elections ain’t cheap. The County Elections Office doesn’t staff for the growing number of these early ballots.

As a result, not ALL early ballots received before election day are counted early.

The office ends up with a backlog, often very large (100,000+) that come in over the last 5 days or so, and most of these are also LATE early ballots and do not get counted before Elections Office staff stop counting early ballots around noon on Monday. But they are COUNTED.

How do I know?  Because 2 days after I mailed my ballot I went online: https://recorder.maricopa.gov/earlyvoteballotnet/evbstatus.aspx

After identifying myself I learned that my ballot was RECEIVED and COUNTED.

Let me repeat that for emphasis: Early ballots are counted early as long as they are postmarked the Friday BEFORE Election Day and received midday the Monday BEFORE Election Day.  But they are all COUNTED.

Now, for further emphasis, here it is in BOLD FACE: Early ballots are counted EARLY as long as they are postmarked the Friday BEFORE Election Day and received midday the Monday BEFORE Election Day. But they are all COUNTED.

So which are the early ballots that news media report a week after Election Day are still being counted?

It’s simple: “Early Ballots” that are received at the Elections Office after midday on the day before Election Day, OR were brought by hand to a polling place ON Election Day, are LATE Early Ballots.  And they are counted AFTER the ballots that were voted on Election Day.  But they are COUNTED.

Here it is again in BOLD FACE: LATE Early Ballot are counted AFTER the ballots that were voted ON or BEFORE Election Day.  But they are COUNTED.

Get it?

Good!!