Pima County Recorder reports “slight delay” in delivery of some mail-in ballots

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Early voting has begun, but tens of thousands of early ballots have not yet reached their final destination in Pima County.

The county clerk said the delay was intended to ensure the right voters received the right ballots. With so much at stake, Republicans and Democrats said they were willing to wait.

The federal holiday contributed to the delay, but the Pima County Recorder said voters can expect their ballots later than expected this week.

County Republicans called out why early ballots had not yet arrived in voters’ mailboxes, and county party chairman Dave Smith said that was a cause for concern.

“I want people to be able to cast their vote; We’re talking about early voting. Well, it doesn’t come too soon and it just further exacerbates the people’s doubts about the greed of our vote and the electorate, the electoral process must, the people must have confidence in it,” Smith said.

Pima County Democratic Party Chairman Eric Robbins issued the following statement:

“The Pima County Recorder has made it clear that all undelivered ballots will be processed at the post office for delivery. We have full confidence in our election systems and our local officials. Their transparent and official communication about this demonstrates their commitment to voting accessibility. Every voter can now vote in person at early voting centers if they wish.”

“This has no impact on people’s ability to vote. The 27-day early voting period is designed for exactly this type of scenario,” said Pima County Clerk Gabriella Cázares-Kelly.

Cázares-Kelly said urban voters should receive their ballots by Tuesday or Wednesday and rural voters by Friday. The delay was intended to address concerns that some voters might receive the wrong ballot.

“We wanted to make sure that we only provide accurate data and don’t have to reissue ballots or anything like that. I think that would have been more cause for concern. “The ability to take a short break from printing to ensure the accuracy of the data being used would, I think, be much more reassuring to the public.” Cazares-Kelly said.

She noted that early voting sites are already open, and since she is from western Pima County, she said she understands the concerns of rural voters.

“It is very worrying; These are my family, my friends, my constituents and my alumni who are waiting and excited to vote and so, yes, absolutely, we don’t take this lightly and that’s why we wanted to improve our communication,” Cázares said -Kelly.

“It’s just a terrible glitch that affects our ability to vote,” Smith said.

Find out when you can contact the recorder in the event of a late vote https://www.recorder.pima.gov/recorderHome

You can check the status of your ballot and sign up for text/email updates at https://www.recorder.pima.gov/ballotinfo

Look for early voting sites at: https://www.recorder.pima.gov/earlyvotingsites

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