Officials race to find solution to Arizona election issues

Election officials and lawmakers have until early February to come up with decisions regarding Arizona’s upcoming primary election.

A revised automatic recount law for elections was recently passed by a federal judge. The law requires an automatic recount between two candidates of a position whenever there is a margin winner of less than or equal to one-half of one percent of the votes. But concern has been raised that if votes have to be recounted, it could delay the Dec. 11 presidential elector deadlines.

Additionally, primary election recounts could mean the delay of ballots to military and overseas voters. Election officials are also set to discuss setting an earlier date for this year’s primary election as a possible solution.

Executive Director of Arizona Association of Counties, Jen Marson, came onto the show to help explain.

Two federal deadlines were in jeopardy of missing, one after the primary and one after the general.

“If we don’t condense our existing election calendar to allow enough time for the initial election and the recount to occur, we may miss both of those deadlines,” said Marson.

Policymakers, the Governor’s office, the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, and all stakeholders involved are having conversations about possible solutions. One of the solutions on the table is moving the primary.

“We want a clean solution that gives us the number of days that county election experts have said that they need,” said Marson. “19 days in the primary cycle, 17 days post general so that we can do all of the things that we need do if recounts are triggered.”