Arizona election updates: Joe Biden's lead tightens in updated results

Arizona Republic

Arizona voted for Joe Biden, giving the Democratic presidential candidate its 11 electoral votes. Mark Kelly is the state's new U.S. senator. But other races and winners are still being sorted out this Wednesday, the day after. 

  • Read Thursday's election updates.
  • Former Vice President Joe Biden maintained a lead in Arizona over President Donald Trump, but his margin shrunk in a new batch of results posted Wednesday evening. 
  • Pro-Trump protesters gathered at the Arizona Capitol and Maricopa County elections center to demand election workers keep counting votes.
  • Arizona voters who are worried their vote wasn't counted because the state's election site showed their mail ballot as "canceled," in most cases, should not be alarmed.
  • The Arizona Attorney General's Office is investigating voter concerns about voting with Sharpie markers. Election officials say ballots will be counted regardless of what kind of pen voters used. 
  • First-time candidate Mark Kelly carries metro areas, says he's ready to get to work.
  • Read Tuesday's election blog here.

Follow along for updates throughout the day from Arizona Republic reporters.

SEE WHO WON: Arizona election results

12:30 a.m. Thursday: 2 Republicans, 1 Democrat maintain leads in Arizona Corporation Commission race

Two Republicans and a Democrat continued their leads in the six-way race for three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission after a second batch of results posted early Thursday.

The commission sets rates and policies for utilities, including how much renewable energy they use.

Democrat Anna Tovar along with Republicans Lea Márquez Peterson and Jim O'Connor held the top spots.

The new results consisted mainly of mail ballots from Maricopa County dropped off at vote centers on Tuesday. 

— Ryan Randazzo 

12:30 a.m. Thursday: Allister Adel now leads Julie Gunnigle in Maricopa County attorney race

County Attorney Allister Adel now leads Democrat challenger Julie Gunnigle in the Maricopa County attorney race after a second batch of results posted early Thursday.

These results consisted mainly of mail ballots from Maricopa County dropped off at vote centers on Tuesday. 

Adel was recovering from emergency surgery Tuesday night for bleeding to the brain. She was hospitalized in serious but stable condition Wednesday.

— Jessica Boehm

12:30 a.m. Thursday: Schweikert expands lead over Tipirneni in House race

Incumbent David Schweikert expanded his lead over Democrat Hiral Tipirneni in the District 6 U.S. House race in a second batch of results posted early Thursday.

These results consisted mainly of mail ballots from Maricopa County dropped off at vote centers on Tuesday. 

— Jessica Boehm

12:30 a.m. Thursday: Education Prop. 208 still ahead  

Proposition 208, which would raise taxes on the wealthy to fund education in Arizona, is still ahead in a second batch of results posted early Thursday.

These results consisted mainly of mail ballots from Maricopa County dropped off at vote centers on Tuesday. 

— Jessica Boehm

12:30 a.m. Thursday: Joe Biden's lead tightens in updated results 

Former Vice President Joe Biden maintained a lead in Arizona over President Donald Trump, but his margin shrunk in a second batch of results posted early Thursday.

These results consisted mainly of mail ballots from Maricopa County dropped off at vote centers on Tuesday. 

The Associated Press called the state of Arizona for Biden early Wednesday morning.

— Jessica Boehm

11:45 p.m.: Protesters still outside elections office

A group of at least 30 protesters were still waiting for election results outside the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in downtown Phoenix as of 11:45 p.m., including several who regularly appear at local protests.

11 p.m.: More results expected soon 

Another batch of Maricopa County results is expected before 11:30 p.m. 

The batch of results posted around 7 p.m. Wednesday consisted of about 76,000 Maricopa County ballots — likely early ballots sent to the county on Monday and Tuesday.

Trump won the batch of ballots by a roughly 58-40 margin, narrowing Biden's lead in Arizona to 79,000 votes, from more than 90,000.

Trump will need to replicate that performance across all the remaining 530,000 votes left to count in the state to overtake Biden. 

— Rob O'Dell

10:30 p.m.: Protest dispersing at elections office

Protesters began leaving the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in downtown Phoenix after people sang “YMCA” around 9:50 p.m. By 10:15 p.m., Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies were escorting election workers and staffers to their vehicles.

The Maricopa County Elections Department said in a statement that "Staff at the Maricopa County Elections Department will continue our job, which is to administer elections in the second largest voting jurisdiction in the country. We will release results again tonight as planned. We thank the Maricopa County Sherriff’s Office for doing their job, so we can do ours."

The protesters still at the scene surrounded a man who was playing the popular YG song "FDT," which says “(Expletive) Donald Trump,” loudly from his pedicab. Deputies separated them and he rode away.

— Perry Vandell, Salma Reyes and Kaila White

10 p.m.: More Maricopa County votes expected around 11 p.m.

The batch of results posted around 7 p.m. Wednesday consisted of about 76,000 Maricopa County ballots — likely early ballots sent to the county on Monday and Tuesday.

Trump won the batch of ballots by a roughly 58-40 margin, narrowing Biden's lead in Arizona to 79,000 votes, from more than 90,000.

Trump will need to replicate that performance across all the remaining 530,000 votes left to count in the state to overtake Biden. 

Another batch of Maricopa County results is expected around 11 p.m.

— Rob O'Dell

9:30 p.m.: Protest still growing at elections office

The crowd continued growing to at least 200 outside the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in downtown Phoenix, and a few counterprotesters showed up holding anti-Donald Trump signs as well.

Throughout the night the crowd chanted “shame on FOX,” a reference to FOX News calling Arizona for Joe Biden on Tuesday night. Right-wing social-media personality Mike Cernovich, who traveled from California to be at the protest, told the crowd Fox News’ call was akin to voter suppression.

News organizations often project winners in elections, but official results come from elections officials after all votes are counted.

U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar and state Rep. Kelly Townsend stood at the front of the crowd next to a line of Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies blocking the entrance to the building. Multiple TV reporters posted on social media that deputies moved them inside out of safety and then began putting on tactical gear. 

— Perry Vandell, Salma Reyes and Kaila White

9 p.m.: Protest growing outside Maricopa County elections center

As election workers and staffers from the Maricopa County Elections Department and Recorder's office worked to count ballots inside, at least 100 people protested outside, at times yelling “count those votes!”

At least five protesters carried assault-style rifles and others wore handguns. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said it is aware of the protest and monitoring the crowd, and “everyone is peaceful and no arrest has been made” as of 9 p.m. Deputies pushed the crowd back, putting caution tape at the bottom of the stairs and standing guard in front of the building.

The crowd continued to grow and broke into applause when Rep. Paul Gosar arrived.

— Perry Vandell and Salma Reyes

8:15 p.m.: Protesters gather at Capitol and Maricopa County elections building

At least 100 protesters gathered at both the Arizona Capitol and the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center, about 1½ miles apart in downtown Phoenix.

The protesters were angry that Joe Biden led President Donald Trump in the votes counted in Arizona so far and alleged voting issues contributed to his lead. There is no evidence of that.

The Associated Press has called the state of Arizona for Biden.

At the Capitol, the crowd sang “God Bless America” before Rep. Paul Gosar addressed them after 8 p.m., encouraging people to check if their ballots were counted on official election websites.

Voters can check their ballot status on the Arizona Secretary of State's website and contact their county recorder or elections office if they don't believe their ballot was counted.

At the election center, people wearing and carrying Trump gear shouted “count the votes” and later kneeled and prayed.

At least a dozen Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies were on scene, with many standing guard at the entrance to the building.

— Perry Vandell and Kaila White

8 p.m.: Faith leaders talk racial justice after Election Day

The First Institutional Baptist Church of Arizona held a virtual town hall Wednesday evening to reflect on the future of the Black community after the 2020 election.

Pastors and other faith leaders of the Phoenix area gathered in a panel discussion to call for unity and strength among the African American and church community.

The church has taken a vocal stance on social justice, from the Black Lives Matter movement to criminal justice reform, and more. Speakers urged viewers to engage in their communities to effect change.

“The Bible declares that faith without works is dead, so if we’re really going to be prophetic, we have to do what the Bible says and watch and pray,” said Phoenix Pastor Reginald Walton.

Speakers talked about how to spark change within the church, especially after the coronavirus pandemic, protests and other events preceding the election.

“We have to keep one eye on the Bible and the other on the newspaper,” said Phoenix Pastor Terry Mackey.

He said the church needs pastors and preachers "who are not afraid to proclaim messages that make people uncomfortable."

“Preaching prophetically means that we must speak the truth to power," Mackey said. 

— Salma Reyes

7:45 p.m.: Conservative protesters at Arizona Capitol

About 100 people were at the Arizona Capitol as of 7:30 p.m. after right-wing author and social-media personality Mike Cernovich tweeted earlier in the day asking people to meet him there for a "voter rights rally" at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Right-wing extremist Mike Cernovich equates Fox News’ call for Biden to voter suppression and tells the pro-Trump crowd he drove seven hours from California to be there on Nov. 4, 2020.

Republican State Rep. Kelly Townsend spoke to the crowd, urging people to sign an affidavit about their voting experience and to contact Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled Cernovich as a male supremacy extremist. He's known for pushing right-wing conspiracy theories like the debunked "Pizzagate," which alleged high-ranking Democrats ran a pedophile ring out of pizza restaurants.

At least one protester carried a rifle. Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bart Graves said earlier in the day the department was “aware of the rally."

"Troopers assigned to our Capitol District will be present as they always are for various rallies and events," he said.

Most of the group split off to drive to the Maricopa County Elections Department building in downtown Phoenix, with most encountering the problem of little to no parking there. 

— Perry Vandell and Kaila White

7 p.m.: 2 Republicans, 1 Democrat maintain leads in Arizona Corporation Commission race

Two Republicans and a Democrat continued their leads in the six-way race for three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission after a new batch of results posted Wednesday evening. 

The commission sets rates and policies for utilities, including how much renewable energy they use.

Democrat Anna Tovar along with Republicans Lea Márquez Peterson and Jim O'Connor held the top spots.

The new results consisted mainly of early ballots from Maricopa County.

— Ryan Randazzo 

7 p.m.: Julie Gunnigle continues lead over Allister Adel in Maricopa County attorney race

Democrat challenger Julie Gunnigle continued her slight lead over County Attorney Allister Adel in the Maricopa County attorney race after a new batch of results posted Wednesday evening. 

These results consisted mainly of early ballots from Maricopa County.

— Jessica Boehm

7 p.m.: Schweikert now leads Tipirneni in House race

Incumbent David Schweikert now has a narrow lead over Democrat Hiral Tipirneni in the District 6 U.S. House race after a new batch of results posted Wednesday evening. 

These results consisted mainly of early ballots from Maricopa County.

— Jessica Boehm

7 p.m.: Education Prop. 208 still ahead  

Proposition 208, which would raise taxes on the wealthy to fund education in Arizona, is still ahead after a new batch of results posted Wednesday evening. 

These results consisted mainly of early ballots from Maricopa County.

— Jessica Boehm

7 p.m.: Joe Biden's lead tightens in updated results

Former Vice President Joe Biden maintained a lead in Arizona over President Donald Trump, but his margin shrunk in a new batch of results posted Wednesday evening.

These results consisted mainly of early ballots from Maricopa County.

The Associated Press called the state of Arizona for Biden late Tuesday night.

— Jessica Boehm

6:45 p.m.: Batch of Maricopa County results expected at 7 p.m.

The Maricopa County Elections Department will post a new batch of results around 7 p.m. It will include mostly mail-in ballots received shortly before Election Day.

Several major statewide and Maricopa County races are still too close to call including Proposition 208, which would raise taxes on the wealthy to fund education in Arizona, Maricopa County Attorney and Congressional Districts 1 and 6. 

Maricopa County is expected to post an additional batch of votes later in the evening as well, though it's unclear at what time. 

— Jessica Boehm

6:30 p.m.: Pro-Trump caravan planned for Saturday

A third planned protest led by Republicans in the Phoenix area popped up Wednesday when a Facebook group called “Patriots of Arizona” announced they would be holding another pro-Trump caravan on Valley highways on Saturday to ride against what participants perceive to be voter fraud.

“EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH!” a picture with details of the event reads. “WE WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO OUR BEAUTIFUL STATE!”

Patriots of Arizona has hosted multiple pro-Trump caravans on recent weekends, with some drawing at least hundreds of vehicles that circle Phoenix-area highways.

The event comes as Fox News and the Associated Press have projected Joe Biden and Mark Kelly as the winners of the state. Some Republicans have argued that the use of Sharpie markers invalidated ballots, though election officials say such claims are completely false.

— Perry Vandell

5:15 p.m.: Pima County tabulates 10,000 ballots

Election officials in Pima County, Arizona’s second most populous county, tabulated about 10,000 of its remaining ballots on Wednesday afternoon, as the nation’s focus in a contested presidential election shifted to the state and its 11 electoral votes. 

More than 460,000 voters cast their ballots in Pima County, a reliable Democratic stronghold. Joe Biden maintained a commanding lead among voters in the county.

But the Elections Department still has between 26,000 to 35,000 early ballots and 18,000 provisional ballots that need to be tabulated, according to Mark Evans, the spokesperson for Pima County.

Evans said the results from the 10,000 votes counted on Wednesday afternoon will be posted to the county elections website later in the day. But the work to get all remaining ballots tabulated could go into the next week, he added.

Nine employees with the county’s elections department quickly tabulated the ballots using machines to speed up the counting. They worked from behind glass panels in the designated public viewing area to increase transparency in the process.

Another 40 workers in a separate room within the building processed verified ballots and prepared them for tabulation, according to David Wiseley, a program specialist for the Pima County Elections Department.

In the runup to the election, the Biden campaign worked to boost turnout in Pima County, especially among Latino voters, even sending his running mate Kamala Harris last week.

— Rafael Carranza

5 p.m.: Maricopa County officials urge patience with vote counting

Republican Clint Hickman, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, and Supervisor Steve Gallardo, the board's only Democrat, issued a bipartisan request for patience as Maricopa County continues counting ballots. 

In a joint letter, the supervisors said they were concerned about the "misinformation spreading about the integrity of our elections."

"Vote counting is not a Republican or Democrat issue; everyone should want all the votes to be counted, whether they were mailed or cast in person. An accurate vote takes time. It's possible the results you see now may change after all the votes are counted. This is evidence of democracy, not fraud," the supervisors said.

The supervisors also repeated what election officials have said throughout the day: Voters can use a Sharpie marker to fill out their ballots.

"Sharpies do not invalidate ballots. We did extensive testing on multiple different types of ink with our new vote tabulation equipment," they said. 

— Jessica Boehm

4:45 p.m.: Youth turnout decisive in Biden, Kelly wins, voting group says

Record-breaking participation of young voters in the 2020 election was integral to turning Arizona blue and securing wins for Democrats in the presidential and state races, according to a local advocacy group focused on organizing the youth vote.

"Young people knew they had to come out in record numbers last night, and they did. That is the reason Joe Biden and Mark Kelly won Arizona," said NextGen Arizona spokesperson Kristi Johnston. "Hands down, they could not have won Arizona without young people showing up in record numbers."

According to the group's statement on Tuesday, early voting numbers showed that nearly 90,000 more people aged 18-29 voted ahead of Election Day in 2020 than in 2016 — representing a 60% increase. They joined the 2.4 million early ballots cast this year, the most ever for the state.

While official tallies have not been released by the Arizona Secretary of State and NextGen is still tabulating its own internal data, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement shows youth votes accounted for a significant proportion of all votes this year. As of Wednesday morning, its data dashboard said young people cast 17% of all votes in Arizona's 2020 election.

This is compared to its data on the 2016 election, which showed young people represented less than 14% of voters statewide.

Johnston said that NextGen believes it will see similar trends in its own statistics on youth turnout because "an overwhelming majority of them knew that if they sat out now, it would be too late to reverse a lot of the issues that they care about in four years."

— Emily Wilder

4:30 p.m.: Confirmation two Apache County polls extended voting hours

Two Apache County poll locations had to extend their voting hours Tuesday after not opening at the required 6 a.m. start of in-person voting.

It's not clear how many voters were disenfranchised by the late opening, nor how many voters were able to get their ballots cast by the 8:15 p.m. deadline ordered by Apache County Superior Court Judge Michael Latham.

But the principle was important, say attorneys who represented the Navajo Nation in the Election Day legal challenge. Voters shall not be denied the right to cast their ballot, said attorney Katherine Belzowski with the Navajo Nation Department of Justice.

A polling place in Chinle did not open until 6:50 a.m. because the person with the keys to the site did not arrive in time, she said.

And the poll at Red Mesa had equipment problems which delayed its opening by more than an hour, Belzowski said.

Latham granted a temporary restraining order that required the two voting sites to make up the lost time at the end of the voting day.

— Mary Jo Pitzl

4:15 p.m.: Conservative 'voter rights rally' planned for 8 p.m.

Right-wing author and social-media personality Mike Cernovich will hold a "voter rights rally" at the Arizona Capitol at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled Cernovich as a male supremacy extremist. He's known for pushing right-wing conspiracy theories like the debunked "Pizzagate," which alleged high-ranking Democrats ran a pedophile ring out of pizza restaurants.

Around noon, Cernovich asked his 740,000 Twitter followers if he should go to Arizona and monitor the vote counting. An hour later, he tweeted that he was on his way. His Twitter bio says he lives in California. 

The Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bart Graves said the department is aware of the rally."

"Troopers assigned to our Capitol District will be present as they always are for various rallies and events," he said. 

— Jessica Boehm

4 p.m.: Biden: 'We flipped Arizona'

In remarks on Wednesday afternoon, Joe Biden said he believed his campaign would prevail once all votes were counted nationally, but was careful to insist that it is voters, not politicians, who decide an election. He didn’t declare his campaign victorious.

Biden pointed to gains in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania on Wednesday that make his path to 270 votes more likely.

“We flipped Arizona,” Biden said.

His remarks came as President Donald Trump continued his false claims of winning the election and sought to sow doubt in the vote-counting process, which is proceeding as normal. Vote counts typically are not completed the night of a major election.

Arizona Republicans, including Gov. Doug Ducey, have said earlier calls by news organizations that Arizona had gone for Biden were premature. They have repeatedly said that all votes must be counted here before any winner is clear.

News organizations often project winners in elections, but official results come from elections officials.

— Rachel Leingang

3:45 p.m.: Tucson Biden supporters demand all votes be counted

More than 50 people, mostly self-identified Democrats and supporters for Democratic candidate Joe Biden, gathered on Wednesday afternoon for a rally in central Tucson. They demanded that all votes cast in this year’s presidential election be counted.

The event was organized locally by Dlyn Parra as part of nationwide protests with the group Protect the Results, which convened these rallies to counter President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of voter fraud.

“Because we value democracy, we are here to say every vote must be counted before the election is determined,” Parra said. “The election is not over until every vote is counted.”

The group gathered at Reid Park in central Tucson and then rallied for about an hour and a half along Country Club Drive. Numerous cars driving through honked their cars in support.

Participants included Michael Bernardi, a Biden voter, who criticized Trump’s calls to stop counting votes in battleground states where he had maintained a lead, but with millions of ballots still uncounted.

“That’s dictatorial,” he said. “He is calling for the suspension of vote counting. That’s sounds like something that would happen during a major national security crisis or sort of worldwide disaster, which ironically we’re currently in in the coronavirus pandemic and yet people showed that they still wanted to show up and participate in democracy.”

Other participants mused over the results that Democrats have pulled so far in Arizona, where Democratic candidates lead in virtually all major races, even as nationwide the party braced for less-than-expected results. The Associated Press called the Arizona race for Biden, who flipped the state to blue for the first time since 1996.

Angela Gollhoser waived a rainbow flag with text in support of progressive movements such as LGBTQ and women’s rights, as well as Black Lives Matter. The 21-year-old Tucson resident said she was especially excited to see larger turnout among her generation.

“I am completely shocked and so excited for Arizona,” she said. “I was thinking that it was a very red state but just from what we’ve seen, especially in Pima County with all the signs and Black Lives Matter … it’s just awesome to see that if people were Republican before, they realized that this man is not Republican whatsoever running the country, so I believe that we are starting to pull together as a state.”

— Rafael Carranza

3:30 p.m.: 'Canceled' ballot status not an issue for most voters

Arizona voters who are worried their vote wasn't counted because the state's election site showed their mail ballot as "canceled," in most cases, should not be alarmed and can call their county elections office for extra assurance.

Voters who received a mail ballot but decided to vote in person at the polls instead will see the label on the website because an in-person vote automatically triggers the mail ballot being "canceled" so the person can't vote twice, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs explained on Twitter.

There are a handful of other reasons why a ballot may appear as "canceled" on the website. For instance, if a voter made a mistake on the first ballot they received and requested a new one.

Voters can check their ballot status on the Arizona Secretary of State's website, my.arizona.vote, and can contact their county recorder or elections office via azsos.gov/county-election-info if they do not believe their early ballot should be listed as canceled.

— Jessica Boehm and Rebekah L. Sanders

3 p.m.: Gila River Indian Community tribal election results

The Gila River Indian Community held a tribal election Tuesday in addition to the general election. 

On the ballot: who would lead the 11,200-member tribe just south of Phoenix for another three-year term. 

Unofficial results published on the tribe's Facebook page Wednesday said incumbent Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis won another term as governor. Voters also retained three judges.

The tribe also approved three constitutional amendments.

One will change a law that left tribal members who lived off tribal lands for 20 consecutive years at risk of being disenrolled. The second will move the community of Coop in the western part of the tribal land to a new district, and the third will allow the tribe to approve ordinances and resolutions without the Secretary of Interior's permission.

— Debra Utacia Krol

2:15 p.m.: Conservative activist calls for AZ 'Protect the Vote Rally'

Turning Point USA President Charlie Kirk took to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon to announce a Friday rally outside Maricopa County elections headquarters to "protect the vote" for President Donald Trump. 

"ARIZONA: Your vote for @realDonaldTrump MATTERS and Democrats want to steal this election from you!" Kirk tweeted. 

Kirk asked Trump supporters to rally outside the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center at 10 a.m. Friday to "help swing Arizona back to President Trump."

"Show up, fight back, HOLD THE LINE!!" he tweeted. 

Joe Biden is leading Trump in Arizona, with at least 600,000 ballots left to count. The Associated Press has already called the state for Biden, but Trump and his supporters have alleged voting irregularities and other issues. There is no evidence of any vote counting issues in Arizona. 

Turning Points USA is a nonprofit group with chapters on college campuses throughout the country. The group promotes free market capitalism and seeks to counter perceived liberal biases on campuses.

On its website, the group says its mission is to "identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government."

— Jessica Boehm

Mail-in ballots are tabulated at the Maricopa County Elections Headquarters in Phoenix on Oct. 20, 2020.

1:30 p.m.: AG investigating use of Sharpies on election ballots

The Arizona Attorney General's Office is investigating after the office says it has received hundreds of voter complaints about Sharpie markers being used to fill out ballots at Maricopa County voting centers. 

"Voters are concerned that the use of Sharpies may have caused ballots to be rejected, spoiled or cancelled," Deputy Solicitor General Michael S. Catlett wrote in a letter to county officials. 

The letter asks county officials to provide details by noon Thursday on the extent to which Sharpies were used at voting centers and how many ballots were rejected. 

Elections officials have stressed that voters' ballots will be counted regardless of what kind of pen they used.

Elections departments across Arizona said the controversy was unfounded and that they have processes in place to ensure ballots are counted regardless of what kind of utensil is used to fill them out.

— Rachel Leingang and Anne Ryman

12:45 p.m.: At least 600K ballots left to be counted in Arizona

At least 600,000 ballots remained to be counted in Arizona as of late Wednesday morning, according to an Arizona Republic survey of country recorders.

County recorders had told The Republic early Wednesday that they had at least 400,000 ballots remaining to count, and confirmed the number of mail-in ballots dropped off on Election Day totaled between 160,000 and 180,000. That along with additional information from the state's rural counties pushed the number of ballots left to count above 600,000. 

The Associated Press early Wednesday morning declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner in Arizona over President Donald Trump. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey urged patience in a statement released late Wednesday morning, saying hundreds of thousands of votes were still outstanding. 

— Rob O'Dell, Caitlin McGlade, Justin Price

12:16 p.m.: AP calls Wisconsin for Biden

Joe Biden has defeated President Donald Trump in battleground Wisconsin, securing the state’s 10 electoral votes and reclaiming a key part of the blue wall that slipped away from Democrats four years ago.

The Associated Press called Wisconsin for Biden after election officials in the state said all outstanding ballots had been counted, except for a few hundred in one township and an expected small number of provisional ballots.

Trump’s campaign has requested a recount. Statewide recounts in Wisconsin have historically changed the vote tally by only a few hundred votes; Biden leads by 0.624 percentage points out of nearly 3.3 million ballots counted.

The victory for Biden bumps him up to 248 electoral votes, while Trump has 214. It takes 270 to win the presidency.

— Associated Press

Noon: Ducey urges patience as votes are counted

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey released a statement late Wednesday morning, reiterating a point he made in a Tweet Tuesday:

"Arizonans turned out in historic numbers for this election, and we owe it to them to count their votes. The results have shifted greatly hour by hour, and from last night until today. With hundreds of thousands of votes still outstanding, it's important that we be patient before declaring any races up or down the ballot. Arizonans have cast their votes, and we need to make sure all their voices are heard fairly and accurately."

11 a.m.: When will we see more election results?

By early Wednesday, Maricopa County had released all results from ballots cast in person on Tuesday, along with most early ballots, for a total of about 1.65 million ballots.

The county was working on Wednesday to count the remaining early ballots, which stood at about 248,000 as of Tuesday night, about 10,000 provisional ballots, and other ballots that were dropped off at polls Tuesday. More results are expected to be released around 7 p.m. Wednesday. 

— Jen Fifield

10:30 a.m.: Why AP called Arizona for Biden

The Associated Press declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner in Arizona at 2:50 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday, after an analysis of ballots cast statewide concluded there were not enough outstanding ballots to allow President Donald Trump to catch up.

With 80% of the expected vote counted, Biden was ahead by 5 percentage points, with a roughly 130,000-vote lead over Trump with about 2.6 million ballots counted. The remaining ballots left to be counted, including mail-in votes in Maricopa County, where Biden performed strongly, were not enough for Trump to catch up to the former vice president.

— Associated Press

10 a.m.: Podcast details what we know and don't know 

Too tired to read the top takeaways about Arizona’s epic election night? Close your eyes and listen to The Gaggle, an Arizona politics podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. It’s a must-listen on what we know — and don’t.

Listen to the latest podcast and find out what comes next. 

— Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

9:30 a.m. At least 400K ballots left to be counted

At least 400,000 ballots remained to be counted in Arizona after Election Day drew to a close, according to an Arizona Republic survey of country recorders across the state. 

And the number is likely much higher, as The Republic was only able to get figures from nine of Arizona's 15 counties, and not all were able to give a full tally of outstanding early and provisional ballots.

Provisional ballots are given to voters who can't verify their ID at the polls or who received a mail-in ballot but decided to vote in person. Election officials must verify a voter's registration before the provisional ballot is counted.

Maricopa County has 248,000 early ballots that arrived on Monday and Tuesday remaining to count, along with 10,000 provisional votes that were cast on Election Day. 

However, Maricopa County officials could not estimate the number of early ballots that had been dropped off at polling places, which could increase the number of ballots left to count by another 100,000 to 200,000 on top of The Republic's 400,000 estimate.

— Rob O'Dell, Caitlin McGlade, Justin Price

9 a.m.: 5 states legalize marijuana 

A nationwide push to relax drug laws took a significant step forward as five more states, including Arizona, legalized marijuana for adults. Voters in New Jersey and Arizona approved measures legalizing marijuana for adults age 21 and older. 

The Arizona measure also allows people convicted of certain marijuana crimes to seek expungement of their records. The passage signaled a change of attitudes, after Arizona voters narrowly defeated a legal pot proposal in 2016.

South Dakota on Tuesday became the first state where voters authorized both recreational marijuana and medical marijuana via two separate initiatives in the same election. The legalization of recreational marijuana was approved by voters in Montana. Medical marijuana won approval in Mississippi.

A decade ago, recreational marijuana was illegal in all 50 states. 

— Associated Press

8:45 a.m. Krysten Sinema welcomes Mark Kelly 

Two years ago, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema beat Republican challenger Martha McSally in a competitive race for one of Arizona's U.S. Senate seats, a race that turned nasty in its final days as McSally accused Sinema of supporting "treason."

Now, Sinema is welcoming Senator-elect Mark Kelly to the Senate after he defeated McSally Tuesday night in the special election to fill the remainder of the term won in 2016 by the late Sen. John McCain.

After losing her race to Sinema in 2018, she was appointed to the state's other Senate seat before voters again rejected her. 

McSally becomes the first Republican in two consecutive cycles to lose both Senate seats in Arizona in modern history.

The Associated Press called the race for Kelly at 12:51 a.m. Wednesday. 

Sinema and Kelly will serve alongside each other in the legislative chamber, marking the first time Arizona had two Democratic senators since 1953.

— Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

8:30 a.m. County attorney undergoes surgery

Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel is in stable, but serious, condition after having emergency surgery.

Jennifer Liewer, spokeswoman for the county attorney, said Adel had bleeding to her brain.

“Her family is grateful for the outpouring of support and asks for continued prayers for Allister,” Liewer said.

The county attorney was admitted to the hospital Tuesday night. Her campaign told The Arizona Republic she was waiting for the results of first round of votes at home with her family.

— Lauren Castle

8 a.m.: Maricopa County votes blue

Maricopa County's long history of voting Republican seems to have ended in 2020.

President Donald Trump lost the county by more than 100,000 votes, according to unofficial results. Democrat Hiral Tipirneni was leading Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., in their Scottsdale-based congressional district.

The Democratic candidates for sheriff and county attorney held a lead. And state legislative races in the county were favoring manyDemocrats, too. This shows a sea change in Arizona politics moving forward, especially with Pima County already a stronghold for Democrats.

— Ronald J. Hansen and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

7 a.m.: Kelly will move into Senate seat quickly

Sen.-elect Mark Kelly could be seated later this month, weeks ahead of other senators elected Tuesday.

Because the Arizona race is a special election, Kelly, D-Ariz., is expected to be sworn in as soon as Nov. 30, after the state certifies its election results. New senators are typically sworn into office on Jan. 3.

Kelly will join the Senate when it returns from recess for its post-election, lame-duck session and would help to narrow Republicans’ 53-47 majority in the chamber. 

— Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

6 a.m.: Many races still undecided

Contests up and down the ballot in Arizona were too close to call Wednesday morning. The thousands of remaining uncounted votes could sway them one way or the other.

Among the major races without a declared winner: Proposition 208, a bid to raise funding for education by increasing taxes on the state's highest earners.

In Congressional District 1, U.S. Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., led Republican challenger Tiffany Shedd. In Congressional District 6, Democratic challenger Hiral Tipirneni narrowly led incumbent Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz. 

The party that will control both chambers in the Arizona Legislature wasn't yet clear. And several county races, including Maricopa County attorney, were still up for grabs.

The vote counts continue on Wednesday.

— Rachel Leingang