"Arizona Republicans Face Costly Reality and Ballot Errors in Hand-Counting Effort"

Mohave County in Arizona has decided against hand-counting its ballots in the upcoming elections due to the high cost and inaccuracies associated with the process. The all-Republican Board of Supervisors voted against forgoing ballot counting machines after a test run revealed counting errors and logistical challenges. Some conservatives, including allies of former President Donald Trump, have advocated for hand-counting as a way to ensure election accuracy, but Mohave County's experience shows that it is expensive, impractical, and prone to errors. The county's test run involved 850 test ballots and resulted in counting errors in 46 races. Hand-counting all the ballots would require hiring hundreds of people and would take weeks to complete. The total cost for hand-counting was estimated at over a million dollars.