Voting snag in Arizona fuels election conspiracy theories

PHOENIX (AP) — A printing malfunction at 60 polling locations throughout Arizona’s most populous county slowed down voting Tuesday, however election officers assured voters that each poll could be counted.

Still, the problem gave rise to conspiracy theories in regards to the integrity of the vote in the pivotal state. Former President Donald Trump, Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and others weighed in to assert that Democrats have been attempting to subvert the vote of Republicans, who have a tendency to point out up in better numbers in individual on Election Day.

Lake and several other different candidates on the Arizona poll have pushed false claims in regards to the 2020 presidential race, amplifying Trump’s lies a few stolen election. But election officers from each political events and members of Trump’s personal Cabinet have mentioned there was no widespread voter fraud and that Trump misplaced reelection to Democrat Joe Biden.

The Republican National Committee, together with the campaigns of Lake and Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters, filed an emergency movement to increase voting hours in Maricopa County.

“We have dozens of attorneys and thousands of volunteers on the ground working to solve this issue and ensure that Arizona voters have the chance to make their voices heard,” the RNC chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, mentioned in a press release.

Equipment malfunctions reminiscent of these are typical in each election, and officers have plans in place to make sure voting continues and all eligible ballots are counted.

At subject have been printers that weren’t producing darkish sufficient markings on the ballots, which required election officers to alter the printer settings. Until then, some voters who tried to insert their ballots into voting tabulators have been compelled to attend and use different machines or have been instructed they may go away their ballots in a drop field. Those votes have been anticipated to be counted Wednesday.

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer mentioned he was sorry for the inconvenience.

“Every legal vote will be tabulated. I promise,” he mentioned.

The subject affected about 25% of voting facilities in Maricopa County, which incorporates metropolitan Phoenix. It was not instantly clear what number of ballots have been affected.

When voters in the nation test in, they’re handed a poll for his or her particular election precinct; the races for which they’ll vote are printed for them. That course of permits voters to go to any voting location in the county. The voters then fill out the poll and put it right into a tabulation machine to be counted.

Some of the tabulators at 60 voting websites didn’t learn the ballots as a result of the printers didn’t produce what are often known as “timing marks” darkish sufficient to be learn by the machines. Voters who had their ballots rejected have been instructed they may attempt the situation’s second tabulator, put it in a poll field to be counted on the central facility later or cancel it and go to a different vote heart.

The majority of Arizona counties don’t rely ballots at polling locations. Officials carry the ballots to a central facility for counting. The ballots that have been left in the drop bins can be counted at that central web site.

The downside slowed down voting in each historically Democratic and Republican areas, particularly at an outlet mall in conservative far-flung Anthem. Some voters there reported ready a number of hours to have the ability to vote with the one one in all two tabulators working.

Arizona legislation permits anybody nonetheless in line when the polls near vote.

By noon, practically half of the 232 voting facilities countywide reported no wait in any respect, and 210 of the facilities reported a wait of a half hour or much less. The Anthem location had a wait of about an hour.

At a polling place on the opposite aspect of the county, Phoenix voter Maggie Perini mentioned she was capable of vote with out downside, however {that a} man subsequent her in line struggled together with his poll at a unique tabulator. When he switched to the machine she had used, the poll went via.

“And then I know one woman who was coming out, she tried like four or five times for it to work and it wasn’t working,” mentioned Perini. “And someone had told her she could leave her ballot and she’s like, No, no, no, no, no.”

Voter Michael McCuarrie mentioned his poll wasn’t learn so he dropped it off to be counted later.

“Fine as long as the vote is counted,” mentioned McCuarrie. “I don’t mind.”

Lake instructed reporters after she solid her poll noon that she was “embarrassed for Arizona.”

“My advice is to stay in line. Don’t let this craziness stop you,” Lake mentioned.

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Associated Press author Bob Christie contributed to this report.

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Follow the AP’s protection of the 2022 midterm elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections. And study extra in regards to the points and components at play in the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections.