Election night just the beginning for counties with piles of early ballots

Alyssa Newcomb, Cronkite News Service

Helen Purcell

Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell wants to spare voters – and her staff – from as much work as possible dealing with early ballots that have to be counted after election day. The popularity of early voting and rules that allow people to turn in ballots at polling places on election day traditionally leave hundreds of thousands of ballots needing to be verified, a process that strains staffs and budgets and delays outcomes in some races.