Secretary of State's Office: Ballot update for 2010 Primary Election

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 30, 2010
Primary Election Notes

How many ballots are left to be counted?

As of Monday afternoon, there are an estimated 900 provisional ballots statewide that are yet to be processed and counted. These ballots are split among Gila and Apache counties.

OK, so when will we have final, unofficial vote totals?

State law gives the counties five business days to verify and process the remaining early and provisional ballots. That gives them until the end of Tuesday, Aug. 31. A state canvass to certify official election results for federal, statewide and legislative races is scheduled for Sept. 7.

Recount, anyone?

State law reads as follows:

16-661. Automatic recount; requirements; exemption

A. A recount of the vote is required when the canvass of returns in a primary or general election shows that the margin between the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes for a particular office, or between the number of votes cast for and against initiated or referred measures or proposals to amend the Constitution of Arizona, is less than or equal to the lesser of the following:

1. One-tenth of one per cent of the number of votes cast for both such candidates or upon such measures or proposals.

2. Two hundred votes in the case of an office to be filled by state electors and for which the total number of votes cast is more than twenty-five thousand.

3. Fifty votes in the case of an office to be filled by state electors and for which the total number of votes cast is twenty-five thousand or less.

4. Two hundred votes in the case of an initiated or referred measure or proposal to amend the constitution.

5. Fifty votes in the case of a member of the legislature.

In the case of the race for Arizona Attorney General, what that means is a recount will be triggered if the margin of difference between the top two candidates is less than or equal to 200 votes. In the case of the GOP primary in House Legislative District 6, a recount will be triggered if the margin of difference between the 2nd and 3rd place candidates is less than or equal to 14 votes.



Matthew Benson
Director of Communications
Arizona Secretary of State’s Office
mbenson@azsos.gov
Twitter: @therealAZsos