Maricopa County Says It’s Found a Solution for Tabulation Issues, Blames Printer
Authorities in Maricopa County in Arizona claim they have solved the tabulation problems at dozens of polling stations throughout the county on Nov. 8.
Early in the day, election officials stated that tabulators at about 20% of county polling stations were malfunctioning. Voters were still able to vote at locations with defective machines, although the ballots would be placed in a secured box, election officials said.
At about 2 p.m. local time, the Maricopa County Elections Command Center said in a statement that officials “identified a solution” to the problem and said “printer settings” were the cause.
“County technicians have changed the printer settings at about 60 Vote Centers,” the statement said. “It appears some of the printers were not producing dark enough timing marks on the ballots,” it added, saying the solution worked at 17 locations so far. Officials said technicians are now working to resolve the issue around the county, which includes Phoenix, Arizona’s most populous city.
Stephen Richer, Maricopa County Recorder, was also present. released an apology over the problem and said that “every legal vote will be tabulated. I promise.”
STATEMENT. pic.twitter.com/Un52eksTrh
— Stephen Richer—Maricopa Cnty Recorder (prsnl acct) (@stephen_richer) November 8, 2022
During a Nov. 8 news conference, Maricopa Board of Supervisors Chair Bill Gates said that after some voters filled out their ballots, the tabulator wouldn’t accept them. This issue was found in approximately 20 percent of county polling stations.
Gates told the press conference that voters should place ballots in a drop box, where they “will remain secure in there all day long.”
“At the end of voting after 7 p.m., when everything is completed, these ballots will be taken out securely and delivered by a bipartisan team … down to here at the central tabulation center,” he said.
Local Republican candidates and officials strongly criticized county officials regarding the tabulation issues.
Maricopa County officials didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
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Jack Phillips, a news reporter at The Epoch Times with a New York office, is Jack Phillips.
