/ Modified nov 9, 2020 4:45 p.m.

Ballot cure deadline approaches

Counties have five business days after the election to handle bad ballot signatures.

ballotprocessing1105 Pima County election workers process ballots the morning of Nov. 5, 2020 in this still image from the live feed of the early/provisional ballot processing room.

The deadline to fix bad signatures on mail-in ballots has arrived in Arizona. Counties have five business days after the election to resolve any problems with signatures on mail-in ballots. For most counties, that deadline is Nov. 10. For a handful of counties that are closed on Fridays, the deadline is Nov. 12.

The legal term is “curing” a ballot, which mean a voter’s signature on a ballot envelope does not match the one on record so they must prove to the county recorder they were the ones who signed the ballot.

In Pima County, election officials call and text voters who have signature problems. Individuals can also check online to make sure the signature on their mail-in ballot was verified.

All ballots with verified signatures by the deadline will be counted.

The five-business day deadline also applies to provisional ballots that were issued on Election Day because the voter did not have proper identification. They must present the correct ID by the end of the day in order for their vote to be counted.

The five-day deadline does not apply to provisional ballots issued for other reasons.

Your Vote 2020
Read more coverage of national, Arizona, and local elections at our 2020 elections portal, Your Vote 2020.
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