(The Center Square) – Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin has proposed an election reform plan to speed up election results in the future, claiming it would be possible for Arizona to have 95% of votes counted election night.
This year, it was over a week before Arizona had all precincts reporting their unofficial results for the 2024 general election. However, Galvin believes the state can avoid criticism from the rest of the country by implementing his 95/1 plan (95% of results in on day one.)
“Although the tabulation of early ballots and election day ballots were done in accordance with state law and within the normal timeframe of previous elections, there is growing concern from the public about the time it takes for Arizona to tabulate ballots and call contested races,” reads a statement from Galvin. “Since election day, I’ve had productive conversations with Republican leaders at the Arizona Legislature who agree sensible and practical changes are needed to speed up processing while also protecting the integrity of the early voting system that most Arizonans utilize.”
The proposed plan would move up the cutoff date for when early ballots can be dropped off at early polling locations. At this time, current law allows early ballots to be dropped off the Friday before Election Day.
Additionally, it proposes that government buildings be used to host polling sites, eliminate emergency voting for the Saturday and Monday before Election Day and allow everyone to utilize in-person voting.
“By moving up the cutoff date for early ballot drop offs, using government buildings to host polling sites, and eliminate emergency voting for the Saturday and Monday prior to the election while allowing folks to vote in person, we can significantly speed up the process and have nearly 95% of ballots tabulated by election night,” Galvin said. “I urge the Arizona Legislature to make my ‘95/1 Plan’ a top priority in 2025 and look forward to working with county and state leaders on these important reforms.”