Uncounted ballots in Arizona: Elections do not end on Election Day

The U.S. Senate contest between Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and Trump-backed Republican Kari Lake in Arizona is still awaiting results, even though Election Day has passed.

The state's ballot progress page states that elections do not end on Election Day and it takes time to ensure all eligible votes are counted.

The estimated number of uncounted ballots is 588,223, according to the page.

As of Saturday, the results of the Senate and presidential race in Arizona were still uncertain, even though Election Day was on Tuesday.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes was contacted by Planet Chronicle Digital to provide a comment on the prolonged counting of 2024 election ballots in the state and when he anticipates the process to be finished.

JP Martin, the deputy communications director, responded via email, "Arizona typically takes 10-13 days to count election results. The secretary had previously informed the public of this fact prior to the election. Your assertion is incorrect."

"Signature verification is the process of comparing the signature on a voter's ballot envelope against information in the database. The ballot is then separated to keep the voter's identity secret and sent for tabulation, Fontes noted in a post on X."

Lake has been urging people to volunteer to help "cure" ballots.

It is crucial to emphasize the significance of ballot curing. Each vote will have a significant impact on this election, so we must ensure that every vote is counted accurately. We have until Sunday to cure ballots. I urge you to participate if you haven't.

Lake's post links to Turning Point Action.

Tyler Bowyer, the group's Chief Operating Officer, informed Planet Chronicle Digital that the group is working diligently to ensure ballots are cured in Arizona.

The process of resolving any problems with your signature on the green affidavit envelope for early voting is called curing. To tabulate your ballot, we must have a verified signature each election cycle. There is a limited timeframe to resolve signature issues.

In 2024, the victor of the U.S. Senate race will succeed Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat who became an independent and decided not to run for re-election.

No matter if President-elect Trump wins in Arizona, he has already secured a decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.