The Arizona Supreme Court declined Sunday to extend the deadline for voters to fix problems with mail-in ballots, a day after voter rights groups cited reports of delays in vote counting and in notification of voters with problem signatures.
The court said Sunday that election officials in eight of the state’s 15 counties reported that all voters with “inconsistent signatures” had been properly notified and given an opportunity to respond.
Arizona law calls for people who vote by mail to receive notice of problems such as a ballot signature that doesn’t match one on file and get a “reasonable” chance to correct it in a process known as “curing.”
“The Court has no information to establish in fact that any such individuals did not have the benefit of ‘reasonable efforts’ to cure their ballots,” wrote Justice Bill Montgomery, who served as duty judge for the seven-member court. He noted that no responding county requested a time extension.
“In short, there is no evidence of disenfranchisement before the Court,” the court order said.