In a nation that appears to be as politically stable as the last two moves of a Jenga game, we need all of the assurances we can get in order to have confidence regarding the outcome of the midterm election.
Ever since 2020’s presidential contest came to a close, there has a been a vibrant, if not a bit confusing conversation occurring in this country regarding the true integrity of our elections and the security measures that we employ to keep things on the up-and-up.
That’s why some early drama on election day in Arizona has some Americans concerned.
Maricopa County officials say that around 20% of their polling sites are experiencing issues with tabulation machines across the Valley, just hours into Election Day.
While the specific addresses and number of locations having issues have not been confirmed, the Maricopa County Recorder’s Officer says technicians have been called to fix the precinct tabulator machines that aren’t working.
“We’ve had a few tabulator issues at a couple locations where the tabulator isn’t immediately taking the ballot,” Richer said after being asked about two locations with reported issues – Burton Barr Library and Christ Lutheran Church. “Instead it can either be Central count tabulated here, or if that issue can be addressed there, then it can be fed into the tabulator – or voters can go to any of the other 221 voting locations.”
Officials were looking to downplay the trouble, however.
Voters have three options if they’re at a location experiencing problems:
- Stay where you are and wait for the tabulator to come online
- Leave the ballot in a locked box to be counted at the end of the day
- “Spoil” their ballot and go to a different, working polling location instead
Authorities say these problems shouldn’t affect wait times, although lines are starting to build up at certain locations. Some locations have reported wait times of up to an hour.
Maricopa County was the scene of a great deal of drama during the 2020 contest as well, and the mere mention of the populous AZ locale could have some political observers’ radar pinging.
