Maricopa City elections limited to mail-in ballots

Pinal County officials have recently identified errors with early voting ballots resulting in missing or inaccurate city and town contests in some jurisdictions and unincorporated areas, which will affect in-person voting on election day for Maricopa residents.

On Saturday morning, James Daniels, Pinal County’s director of communications, confirmed that Maricopa City elections will be limited to mail-in ballots. In order to vote in a City of Maricopa election, for example, the City Council race, voters can only use the supplemental mail-in ballot that will be mailed out shortly. Voters will then need to complete and return the ballot by mail or at a collection box.

Any City of Maricopa voters who have already voted and had the City of Maricopa contests correctly on their original ballot, their vote in the City of Maricopa contests will not be counted and they must complete the supplemental ballot they receive.

Said Daniels: “We will be attempting to directly contact voters in this instance where their phone number is available to let them know this, and to expect the supplemental ballot.”

Daniels added that six precincts within the City of Maricopa were affected, approximately 13,500 voters.

The human-caused errors on the ballots are affecting voters elsewhere in Pinal County, including Apache Junction, Casa Grande, Eloy, Mammoth, Queen Creek and Superior.

An estimated 63,000 ballots are incorrect.

In an earlier statement, Pinal County said: “We strive for excellence, trust, and transparency, particularly when it comes to elections, and we recognize the significance of these errors. We wish to reassure voters and candidates that election integrity is our top priority and as such, we are taking immediate corrective action for voters in the affected areas.”

According to the County, affected voters will receive a supplementary ballot-by-mail with the correct municipal contests. Voters should still utilize the initial ballot for Federal, State, and Legislative contests. Any votes in municipal contests in the cities and towns affected will not be registered on the original ballot; only on the supplementary ballot, which will be sent to all eligible voters will count.

If you have city or town contests on your ballot, you do not need to complete them. You will receive a supplemental ballot that you will need to complete to participate in the municipal election for your vote to count.

If you received a ballot with contests of a nearby city or town in which you are not eligible to vote, complete the Federal, State and Legislative contests on your card and vote as normal. Ineligible votes in contests for the cities and towns listed above will not be registered.

If you have questions, contact the Citizen Contact Center on 520-509-3555, or 311 when dialing within Pinal County (Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or email [email protected].