Changes to state law and Arizona court rules for the 2024 election cycle should help to finalize vote totals sooner and expedite post-election legal challenges.
State Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, co-sponsored an election reform bill that became law this year. It reduces the number of days to cure ballots, adds measures to speed up recounts, and moves up deadlines for canvassing results at the county and state levels.
"We got input from all the players; we took that into account when we passed the bill," Kavanagh said. "The whole idea is to make the system run smoother and faster."
Arizona's election director sent letters to boards of supervisors in all 15 counties reminding them of the new deadlines and saying, "Your attention and adherence to legal requirements are crucial to ensure every valid ballot is counted at the local, legislative, and statewide levels."
The Arizona Supreme Court is also providing guidance to local judges on prioritizing election challenges. An administrative order issued in October said judges could delay rulings in other cases, if necessary, to expedite cases involving ballot initiative results or candidate races.
"These people are put in place after the first of the year, so as a practical matter, people need to know and to plan and to start to hit the ground running in whatever office they assume," said Chief Justice Ann Timmer.
The administrative order also requires judgments in any case regarding the presidential race to happen by 1 p.m. on December 6. The specific deadline is intended to leave time for possible appeals before the governor must certify the slate of presidential electors on December 11.
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Those electors meet to vote on December 17 to comply with a new federal election law.
"It's extraordinarily difficult sometimes with those tighter time frames, but the courts do their best, the lawyers do their best, and so do the parties," Timmer said.
There may be some late nights and weekends for election workers, lawyers, and judges, to ensure they are fulfilling Arizona's democratic duty under these new rules.
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