Investigations into voting issues in Arizona have revealed that a staggering 70 polling places in Maricopa County suffered issues with machines that were vital to processing ballots on Election Day.
Officials have been investigating the reasons why Arizona’s biggest county suffered so many issues as citizens tried to cast their votes in the midterms.
The locations were mostly spread throughout the Valley region, according to KNXV-TV.
The main issue with the polling places was with Ballot on Demand printers, not tabulation machines.
According to the report, an election department spokesperson revealed in an email that the printer fusers were the problem, not a lack of ink or toner.
“The printers have three profiles, one for the ballot, one for the receipt, and one for the envelope,” the official said.
“The ballot ‘media weight’ setting was set to heavy, as recommended, and the receipt and envelope was not.”
County officials assured the public that they had a backup system in place in case of such an emergency.
This is where the Door 3 drop-off boxes come in, as reported by KNXV-TV.
Election officials have stated that around 17,000 ballots were placed at these drop-offs, with many of the ballots showing errors.
These errors either came from voters using the wrong pen or not filling in the ovals properly.
With so many questions regarding the way Maricopa conducted its elections, Arizona Republicans are beginning to lawyer up and take their case to court.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has yet to concede her race against Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, claiming that voters were disenfranchised.
“Rest assured I have assembled the best and brightest legal team, and we are exploring every avenue to correct the many wrongs that have been done this past week,” Lake said in a new video on Thursday, Fox News reported.
“I’m doing everything in my power to right these wrongs.”
The Trump-backed candidate seems to be gearing up for a lengthy legal battle.
Citing the long lines and machine failures at Maricopa polling places, Lake stated “what happened to Arizonans on Election Day is unforgivable.”
Republicans attempted to extend voting hours on election night by requesting a judge’s court order but were ultimately declined, according to Fox News.
Critics have also pointed out that Hobbs did not recuse herself from the state election process, despite having a vested interest in the race.
The Secretary of State is responsible for election procedures and certifying voting equipment, two things Maricopa seemed to struggle with.
With Lake and other Arizona Republicans poised to make a challenge, the state may not be out of the election woods just yet.
