PHOENIX — Maricopa County elections workers were busy Monday placing ballots from the November election into tabulation machines.
The county is recounting the votes in the State Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and State House race in Chandler's Legislative District 13.
"We are over 70% complete with auto recount as of this weekend and we think we'll be done at the end of the week," said Megan Gilbertson from the Maricopa County Elections Department.
Running the ballots through the tabulation equipment is just one step in the recount process.
By state law, 2% of the ballots cast in each county are subject to a hand count.
In Maricopa County, that adds up to more than 30,000 ballots. "They started Saturday-Sunday and they'll finish it on Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the speed at which they do the hand count," Gilbertson said.
Since Arizona's vote was certified a week ago, the state's 15 counties have been at work on the recount.
Three counties, Pima, Gila and Greenlee completed the count, while three others, Graham, La Paz and Santa Cruz are just starting.
"Every time you got your machines going whether it's part of a regular election or recount you always have your party observers there," said Helen Purcell, Maricopa County's chief elections officer for 28 years.
She oversaw the recount of Proposition 112 in 2010. It was defeated.
The recount didn't change the outcome.
In the tight race for Attorney General, where only 511 votes separate winner Democrat Kris Mayes from Republican Abe Hamadeh, Purcell doesn't think the recount will change the result.
"It's a very long shot. to have that change that much even over a statewide basis you're going to have all 15 counties. But it's just, I can't imagine that happening." Purcell said.
Each county will send its results to the Secretary of State who then delivers the final results to a Maricopa County Superior Court judge. The judge is expected to announce the final results on December 22nd.
