Pima County this week rolled out a new option for voters who plan to drop off mail-in ballots on Election Day: present acceptable identification at a Vote Center and have your ballot verified and routed directly for early processing.
How the new system works
The program, called the ID Verified Early Ballot Drop Off system, lets a voter who hands their own completed early ballot to a poll worker show a valid form of ID — for example, a valid Arizona driver’s license — and have their identity checked on the spot through an electronic poll book.
"They basically check in on an e-poll book, the same way they would to have their ballot printed on Election Day,"
The quote above comes from Jeremy George, deputy elections director for Pima County, who explained the process. Once poll workers confirm the voter's identity, they stamp the early ballot affidavit envelope and deposit the ballot in a separate box that skips the county’s usual signature-verification step and goes straight to early ballot processors for tabulation.
What stays the same — and what changes
- Who can use it: Only the voter casting their own early ballot can use the ID Verified process. Ballots brought in for other people must follow the standard drop-off path.
- Standard options remain: Voters may still use the traditional sealed affidavit envelope drop-off or return ballots to any of Pima County’s 120 Vote Centers or six ballot drop boxes by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
George said the new procedure bypasses the usual step where sealed affidavit envelopes are transported to the Recorder’s Office for signature verification — a change Pima County says could help speed tabulation for ballots handed in on Election Day, which falls on Tuesday, July 21.
Ballot totals and participation so far
The Recorder’s Office reports broad participation in the early ballot program this cycle. Pima County mailed more than 350,000 early ballots, which includes replacement ballots. From the initial mailing of 348,813 ballots, 114,965 had been returned as of Tuesday, July 14 — and 104,847 of those had already reached the Elections Department for processing.
| Metric | Count |
|---|---|
| Initial ballots sent | 348,813 |
| Ballots returned (as of July 14) | 114,965 |
| Ballots delivered to Elections Dept. | 104,847 |
What voters should know
This change is focused on practicality: it gives voters a faster path for their own early ballots to be counted while maintaining safeguards that require identification at the point of drop-off. Voters who prefer the traditional sealed-envelope process or who are dropping off ballots for family members can continue to use existing options.
For anyone planning to use the ID Verified option on Election Day: bring an acceptable form of identification, be prepared to check in on an e-poll book (a tablet, laptop or kiosk connected to digital voter records) and allow poll workers to stamp the affidavit envelope before placing your ballot in the special box.
Pima County election officials say the new system is designed to reduce processing delays on a day when election offices are typically working to complete and certify results.
