County answers FAQs on city council ballot omission

Submitted by Pinal County

If you requested an early ballot in the impacted cities or towns, you will now be sent a Municipal-Only Ballot.

If you have already returned your early voting ballot, you will still receive and need to complete the Municipal-Only Ballot if you wish to vote in your city or town contest.

• You should complete and return your original early voting ballot for Federal, State, Legislative, and County races if you wish to vote in these contests.
• Municipal contests on the original early voting ballots in the seven impacted cities and towns will be invalid and will not be counted. *ONLY votes in Federal, State, Legislative, and County contests on the original early voting ballots will be registered.
• If you voted in-person at an early voting site and reside in one of the impacted cities or towns, you will need to either return to a voting site to vote your municipal-only ballot or contact early voting on 520-509-3555 and request a municipal-only ballot be mailed to you.
• There will be in-person voting at sites on Election Day for Municipal contests in the seven impacted cities and towns. In the impacted areas, you will be given TWO separate ballots: one for city and town contests and one for Federal, State, Legislative, and County contests.
• If you live in Unincorporated Pinal County and see a city or town contest on your ballot, you can complete Federal, State, Legislative, and County contests on your ballot and return it as normal. *The city/town contests on your ballot will be invalid and not be counted if voted.

County Attorney Kent Volkmer provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions related to the ballot errors and provides guidance on what you need to do now depending on your situation, watch the video below.

What has happened?
In seven municipalities across Pinal County, early mail ballots were sent out with errors, specifically related to city and town election contests. Voters in some city/town precincts did not have municipal contests on their ballots. Meanwhile, in some precincts outside city/town limits (in unincorporated Pinal County), some voters received municipal contests on their ballots in which they are not eligible to vote. Federal, State, Legislative and County contests were not impacted.

Which are the seven municipalities that are impacted?
The impacted municipalities are Casa Grande, Eloy, the City of Maricopa, Mammoth and Superior, PLUS the Pinal County portions of Apache Junction and Queen Creek. Maricopa County residents in Apache Junction and Queen Creek are not impacted by this issue.

How do I confirm if I am impacted?
Please use this tool: https://arcg.is/1TamXa

Type in your address and it will tell you if, and how, you may be impacted.

What has caused this error?
This error has been caused by human error in preparation of the ballots in the County Elections Department.

My City or Town is not listed. Am I impacted?
If your City or Town is not mentioned in the list, you are not impacted and should continue to vote as normal.

I live in Unincorporated Pinal County, am I impacted?
If you live in Unincorporated Pinal County and do not have any city or town contests on your ballot, you are not impacted and should continue to vote as normal.

If you live in Unincorporated Pinal County and see a city or town contest on your ballot, you can vote for the Federal, State, Legislative and County contests on your ballot and return it as instructed. The city/town contests on your ballot will be invalid and not be counted if voted.

My City or Town is impacted. What happens now?
If you received an early ballot, you will now be sent a Municipal Only ballot for your Municipal contests.

Your original ballot should be used to vote for Federal, State, Legislative and County contests on your ballot. If you do have municipal contests on your original ballot, these will be invalid and will not be counted if voted.

You must complete the specific Municipal Only ballot if you wish to vote in municipal contests in a town or city that has been impacted.

Your early voting and additional Municipal Only ballot should be returned in their respective original affidavit envelope, signed by the voter, and received no later than 7 p.m. on AUGUST 2. They should NOT be placed in the same envelope.

What if I am in an impacted municipality and have already returned my ballot?
If you have already voted, regardless of whether or not you completed municipal contests on your ballot, you will be sent a Municipal Only Ballot and you must complete and return it if you wish to vote in city or town contests. Any votes for municipal contests on the original ballot in impacted cities or towns will be invalid and will not be counted. Your votes in Federal, State, Legislative and County contests will be processed as normal.

What if I already voted in an Early Voting Site?
If you voted in a city or town contest when you voted in an early voting site, your vote WILL NOT COUNT in these contests. While the Federal, State, Legislative, and County portions of your votes ARE NOT impacted and WILL BE COUNTED, YOU WILL NEED to fill in a municipal-only ballot in order to vote in your city or town contests.

We expect municipal-only ballots to be available in voting sites from Monday, July 18, 2022. The options available to you are:

1. Return to an Early Vote sites anytime from July 18 to August 2 and request a municipal-only ballot
   
2. Call Pinal County Early Voting on 520-509-3555 and request a municipal-only ballot be mailed to you
   
3. Visit a Polling Site on Election Day (August 2) and request a municipal-only ballot

Can I still vote in-person on Election Day for the Municipal Contests in the impacted cities and towns?
Yes, there will be in-person voting at polling sites on Election Day for Municipal Only contests in the seven impacted cities and towns, however these will be voted on a separate Municipal Only ballot separate from the Federal, State, Legislative and County contests.

Can I vote early in an Early Vote Site?
You can early vote in any Recorder’s Office location. We expect municipal-only ballots to be available in early vote sites by Monday, July 18, 2022.

What are the Ballot Drop Box and Recorder’s Office locations?
Ballot drop boxes are available 24 hours a day until 7 p.m. on August 2, at:

Arizona City County Sheriff Substation
13970 Sunland Gin Rd
Arizona City, 85123

Eloy County Health Bldg
302 E 5 th St
Eloy, 85131

Oracle Justice Court
1470 N Justice Dr
Oracle, AZ 85623

San Tan Valley County Health Dept
36235 N Gantzel Rd
San Tan Valley, 85140

Ballots can also be dropped at:

Coolidge Early Voting Department
168 N Main St
Coolidge, 85128
Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Recorder’s Office Locations and Hours are listed below. Additionally, each Recorder’s Office has a ballot drop box outside which is available 24 hours a day until 7 p.m. on August 2:

Apache Junction Recorder’s Office
575 N Idaho Rd, Ste. 800
Apache Junction, 85119
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday
8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Election Day

Casa Grande Recorder’s Office
820 E Cottonwood Ln., Ste. A-2
Casa Grande, 85122
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday
8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Election Day

Florence Recorder’s Office – Voter Registration Dept.
31 N Pinal St. Bldg. E, Florence, 85132
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday
8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Election Day

Maricopa Recorder’s Office 19955 N Wilson Ave. Bldg. 100, Maricopa, 85139
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday
8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Election Day

San Tan Valley Recorder’s Office 3
1505 N Schnepf Rd. Bldg. A
San Tan Valley, 85143
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday
8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Election Day

When should I expect to receive my Municipal Only ballot if I am a registered voter in one of the impacted cities or towns?
County staff are working hard to produce the Municipal Only ballots as quickly as possible. We are working towards the ballots arriving in your mailbox early in the week of July 18, 2022. We will provide updates here when we have more definitive information.

What if I am a military or overseas voter?
UOCAVA voters will be sent the Municipal Only ballot if impacted as soon as possible.

What do I do if I spoil or damage my early ballot?
If you spoil or damage your early ballot and need a replacement, please email [email protected] or call early voting at 520-509-3555.

How can I track my ballots after I mail them or put them in a ballot drop box?
You can track your ballots at my.arizona.vote. 

I’ve heard a lot of talk about election irregularities in recent years. Did something untoward happen here?
Absolutely not, this has been caused by human error in preparation of the ballots in the County Elections Department. As a County, 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.

Have Democrat or Republican candidates been most impacted?
The impacted races are city and town contests, which are non-partisan. This means candidates are not running with an affiliated party.

I still have questions, who can I call?
You can contact Pinal County’s Citizen Contact Center on 520-509-3555, or 311 from within Pinal County. Contact Center staff are available to answer questions from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you prefer to email, you can also email [email protected].