The painstaking process of counting millions of signatures is underway at the Secretary of State's Office as dozens of committees hoping to change Arizona statutes or its Constitution rushed to turn in ballot petitions before the July 3 deadline.

Nine election employees of Secretary of State Jan Brewer soon will be joined by dozens of temporary workers hired to rifle through and verify signatures contained in boxes hauled into the office by campaign committees. Three such committees have filed so far, and several more have indicated they will submit signatures in time.