'Come ready to wait': Early voting lines get longer as Election Day nears

Voters in Surprise said they waited between 40 to 60 minutes to cast their ballot on Tuesday.

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SURPRISE, Ariz. — Early voters in Surprise showed up in large numbers on the Tuesday before Election Day. “When we walked through the door, I was thinking what Tuesday is this," Tracy Blackwell said.

Some people told 12News they waited between 40 minutes to one hour to cast their ballot at Surprise City Hall. “As the line continued to spiral, there was probably 100 people still here on a work night," Sharla Johnson said. Voters said the wait wasn't due to issues, just a large turnout.



"It was smooth sailing," Peaches Barbee said. Plus, the ballot is long. It's two pages front and back.

RELATED: Maricopa County election officials say they expect to take 10 to 13 days to tabulate ballots in general election Blackwell said he and his wife filled out their sample ballots and came prepared, but it still took about 10 minutes to fill in the bubbles. The deadline to mail back ballots has passed, but voters can still drop it off at their polling location without the wait. But those who did have to stand in line told 12News it was worth it.

“I would have waited for 10 hours in this election," Jason Cousin said. “Come ready to wait, but just make sure you get your vote in.” Maricopa County has a list of polling places with estimated wait times on its website.

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