16-642. Canvass of election; postponements
A. The governing body holding an election shall meet and canvass the election as follows:
1. The governing board of a county shall meet and canvass as follows:
(a) For the primary election, not later than the second Monday after the election.
(b) For the general election, not later than the third Thursday after the election.
2. The secretary of state shall canvass as follows:
(a) For the primary election, not later than the third Thursday after the election.
(b) For the general election, not later than the third Monday after the election.
3. The governing body of a city, town or special district shall meet and canvass the election not less than six days and not more than twenty days following the election.
B. The governing body of a special district as defined in title 48 shall present to the board of supervisors a certified copy of the official canvass of the election at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the board of supervisors. For purposes of contesting a special district election as described in section 16-673, the canvass is not complete until the presentation to the board of supervisors is made.
C. If, at the time of the meeting of the governing body, the returns from any polling place in the election district where the polls were opened and an election held are found to be missing, the canvass shall be postponed from day to day until all the returns are received or until six postponements have been had. The subsection does not apply to the county board of supervisors' canvass of the primary and general election.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in
7
cases (
4 in the last 5 years), 2006–2026 · leading case:
Hancock v. Bisnar, 132 P.3d 283 (Ariz. 2006).
Hancock v. Bisnar, 132 P.3d 283 (Ariz. 2006).
· cites it 2× “In addition, A.R.S. § 16-642(B) states that a contest of an election held by "a special district as defined in title 48,” the title governing irrigation districts, is to be "as described in § 16-673.”
Arizona City Sanitary Dist. v. Olson, 230 P.3d 713 (Ariz. Ct. App. 2010).
· cites it 2× “§ 19 — 209(B)(2); and, the Board of Supervisors improperly canvassed the election because the body that holds an election must be the same as tire body that calls the election and because if a special district holds an election, it must canvass the election, see A.R.S. § 16-642.”
Crosby v. Hon. fish/state (Ariz. Ct. App. 2024).
· cites it 16× “See A.R.S. §§ 16-642, -646, -647. Besides the canvass, the Board must also perform a hand count of the greater of two percent of county precincts or two precincts.”
Petersen v. Fontes (Ariz. Ct. App. 2026).
· cites it 5× “¶29 Section 16-642, subsection A establishes the parameters of the county boards’ canvassing duty: A.”
Arizona City Sanitary Dist. v. Pinal Cnty. (Ariz. Ct. App. 2010).
· cites it 2× “§ 19-209(B)(2); and, the Board of Supervisors improperly canvassed the election because the body that holds an election must be the same as the body that calls the election and because if a special district holds an election, it must canvass the election, see A.R.S. § 16-642. 8…”
Lake v. Fontes (D. Ariz. 2022).
“18 § 16-642(A). Mr. Logan testified that in the Cyber Ninjas’ hand count, it took roughly 19 2,000 people more than two-and-a-half months to hand count only two (out of several 20 dozen) contests on each ballot in only one of Arizona’s fifteen counties.”
— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 16-642(A) — 3 cases
Crosby v. Hon. fish/state (Ariz. Ct. App. 2024).
“See A.R.S. §§ 16-642, -646, -647. Besides the canvass, the Board must also perform a hand count of the greater of two percent of county precincts or two precincts.”
Petersen v. Fontes (Ariz. Ct. App. 2026).
“¶29 Section 16-642, subsection A establishes the parameters of the county boards’ canvassing duty: A.”
Lake v. Fontes (D. Ariz. 2022).
“18 § 16-642(A). Mr. Logan testified that in the Cyber Ninjas’ hand count, it took roughly 19 2,000 people more than two-and-a-half months to hand count only two (out of several 20 dozen) contests on each ballot in only one of Arizona’s fifteen counties.”
— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 16-642(B) — 2 cases
Hancock v. Bisnar, 132 P.3d 283 (Ariz. 2006).
“In addition, A.R.S. § 16-642(B) states that a contest of an election held by "a special district as defined in title 48,” the title governing irrigation districts, is to be "as described in § 16-673.”
— Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 16-642(C) — 2 cases
Crosby v. Hon. fish/state (Ariz. Ct. App. 2024).
“See A.R.S. §§ 16-642, -646, -647. Besides the canvass, the Board must also perform a hand count of the greater of two percent of county precincts or two precincts.”
Petersen v. Fontes (Ariz. Ct. App. 2026).
“¶29 Section 16-642, subsection A establishes the parameters of the county boards’ canvassing duty: A.”
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