Tens of thousands of paper voter registration forms were delivered damaged or incomplete to the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office just before the voter sign-up deadline.
Officials reported that up to 90,000 registration forms were submitted by third-party organizations on the final day of voter registration, an unexpected surge that exceeded staff expectations. Of these, around 50,000 forms have been processed, though some were incomplete and require additional information from voters. Alarmingly, an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 forms were deemed unusable due to damage, such as tearing or water exposure.
Voters whose registration forms were incomplete or damaged might need to cast provisional ballots on Election Day. If voters provide missing information before polls close at 7 p.m. and are confirmed eligible, their votes will be counted. However, if a form was damaged beyond processing, their ballot will only be counted if they were previously registered and their status remains active.
The situation could also create delays at polling locations, lead to longer lines, and increase potential conflicts. While issuing a provisional ballot takes no more time than issuing a regular one, voters frequently have questions when they receive a provisional ballot, which can slow down check-ins and create backups. This comes as election officials have already warned that the county’s lengthy two-page ballot could result in wait times of up to an hour on Election Day. Provisional ballots can also lead to frustration among voters, a significant concern in Arizona, where election skepticism has deepened in recent years.
The Recorder’s Office has worked tirelessly to process the “unprecedented” volume of registration forms. “All of the preliminary work has been done in terms of processing these forms,” said Recorder’s Office Spokesperson Kinnerup. “Anything left to do is on the onus of the voter.”
Still, up to 40,000 voters remain in limbo due to damaged forms, along with an unknown number of voters who need to complete their incomplete forms. Kinnerup did not provide an estimate for how many forms still require corrections to be eligible for voting.
The Recorder’s Office has sent letters to voters who provided incomplete forms but included mailing addresses, urging them to submit the missing information before the 7 p.m. deadline on Election Day. Voters who correct, or “cure,” their registration forms in advance will be eligible for a regular ballot. Otherwise, they will receive a provisional ballot, which will only be counted if the form is corrected and the voter is confirmed as eligible.
For some voters, presenting identification at the polls might be enough to rectify an incomplete form. Poll workers should be able to guide voters on the necessary steps to ensure their votes count. As of Friday, county workers had already issued approximately 4,800 provisional ballots during early voting, a number described by Elections Department Spokesperson Jennifer Liewer as “absolutely more than normal.”
“It’s certainly a much higher number than we’ve seen previously since moving to a vote center model,” Liewer added.
