The 2024 election may be over, but the suspense lingers in Arizona as voters await the results of the closely watched U.S. Senate race. The contest pits Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego against Republican Kari Lake, a fervent supporter of former President Trump. While Election Day has passed, the state’s ballot progress page indicates that a significant number of ballots, estimated at 588,223, remain uncounted. This has left both candidates and the public eagerly awaiting the final outcome.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has reassured voters that the delay is due to the meticulous process of signature verification, a crucial step to ensure election integrity. “Accurate election results take time,” Fontes stated on X, formerly Twitter. “Signature verification is the process of comparing the signature on a voter’s ballot envelope against info in the database. The ballot is then separated to keep the voter’s identity secret and sent for tabulation.”
Despite these explanations, Kari Lake has been actively encouraging voters to volunteer to help ‘cure’ ballots, a process that involves resolving any issues with signatures on early voting envelopes. “I can’t stress enough how important ballot curing is. Every single vote is going to count for this election, so we need to make sure every single vote gets counted. We have until Sunday to cure ballots. I URGE you to get involved if you haven’t,” Lake tweeted.
The intense focus on the Arizona Senate race is amplified by the ongoing border crisis, which has become a central issue in the national discourse. Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s immigration policies, recently discussed the impact of the border crisis on the 2024 presidential election results on ‘Fox News @ Night’. Lamb’s comments underscore the significant role the border issue is playing in shaping the political landscape.
While the winner of the U.S. Senate contest will ultimately replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat turned independent who opted not to seek re-election, the outcome of the presidential race in Arizona is already clear. President-elect Trump has secured a decisive Electoral College victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 White House contest, though the Arizona Senate race continues to captivate the nation’s attention.
