Ballot printers slow down Arizona county recording votes

PHOENIX — After a printing error at approximately one-quarter of the polling stations in Arizona’s largest county, election officials assured voters that every vote would be counted.

The Tuesday snag fuelled conspiracy theories about the integrity and vote in the state. Former President Donald Trump, GOP candidate Kari lake, and others attempted to make the case for Democrats trying to subvert Republicans’ vote. Republicans tend to show up more in person on Election Day.

Officials estimated that about 17,000 ballots in Maricopa County had been affected. This is approximately 7% of Tuesday’s 275,000 votes. The county, which includes Phoenix and has approximately 4.5 million residents, has about 2.4 million registered voters. More than 80% of the population votes early, with most voting by mail.

60 of 223 voting centers had printers that failed to produce dark enough markings. Voters who attempted to insert their ballots into the tabulators were forced to wait for other machines or were told they could drop their ballots in a dropbox. Those votes were to be counted Wednesday.

Officials fixed the problem by changing the settings on the printer.

After the polls closed, Republican Bill Gates (chairman of the county’s board on supervisors) apologized and stated that “every voter had an opportunity to vote and have it counted.”

Most Arizona counties don’t count ballots at polling stations. Officials bring the ballots into a central facility to be counted.

Workers at the county’s tabulation centre on Wednesday wore purple gloves to protect paper from dirt, sweat, and used metal carts for carrying stacks of ballots to be scanned into the election machines. Before workers could begin the tabulation process, election adjudicators watched. They labeled the ballots and sealed them with red paper for future challenges.

By midday, there were no protests outside.

11 officers were riding on horseback as part of the security measures taken Tuesday night outside the county tabulation centre in downtown Phoenix. This was a familiar practice at protests throughout metropolitan Phoenix in the past. Even after the polls closed, no protestors were seen at the site.

Gates said that nothing happened today that would indicate a need or a need be out there to address injustice. “We had an issue regarding printers that was addressed by the good people in Maricopa County.”

This problem caused voting delays in both Republican and Democratic areas, especially in an outlet mall in conservative Anthem. Some voters reported that they had to wait several hours before being able to vote using only one of the two tabulators.

Lake and other Arizona candidates have made unproven claims about 2020’s presidential race, amplifying Trump’s claims of a stolen election. Both election officials from both parties and members Trump’s Cabinet said that there was no widespread voter corruption and that Trump lost reelection elections to Democrat Joe Biden.

Bob Christie and Jacques Billeaud, both of The Associated Press, contributed information for this article.

    A worker at the Maricopa County Recorders Office in Phoenix, Wednesday, November 9, 2022, tabulates ballots. (AP Photo/Matt York)
  

    A poll worker tabulates ballots at the Maricopa County Recorders Office on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
  

    Stephen Richer, Maricopa County Recorder, speaks in the Recorders Office in Phoenix, Wednesday, November 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt York)
  

    The Maricopa County Recorders Office in Phoenix is where election adjudicators are seen watching ballot tabulation. Wednesday, November 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt York)
  

    An election worker tabulates ballots in the Maricopa County Recorders Office on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
  

    The Maricopa County Recorders Office is in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
  

    Stephen Richer, Maricopa County Recorder, speaks in the Recorders Office, Wednesday Nov. 9, 2022 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
  

    A worker at the Maricopa County Recorders Office in Phoenix loads ballots for tabulation. This was Wednesday, November 9, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt York)
  

    A worker from the election removes tabulated ballots that will be boxed at the Maricopa County Recorders Office on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)