MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Maricopa County's election workers should not have anticipated printer problems on Election Day that resulted in long lines at some polling locations, according to a new report released Monday.
The county called for an independent investigation after some ballots could not be tabulated on-site during Arizona's general election in November. The issue generated much chaos, confusion, and allegations of sabotage.
Former Supreme Court Justice Ruth McGregor was asked to investigate the printer issue and her findings were released in a report on Monday.
McGregor found that the primary cause for the Election Day problems was "equipment failure" that county workers likely could not have foreseen.
"But nothing we learned in our interviews or document reviews gave any clear indication that the problems should have been anticipated," the report states.
Although McGregor found the county's workers had reason to be confident their printers would run smoothly, she concluded there were additional pre-election tests that might have detected the issue beforehand.
"But while preelection testing that used interval testing and on-site tabulators would have been more likely to detect the printer shortcomings, nothing in the County’s past experience or that of the employees at Runbeck suggested such testing was needed," the report states.
County officials said McGregor's report confirms their initial findings, which was that older printers "could not maintain the heat required to consistently print ballots dark enough to be read by the on-site tabulators."
“This report is exactly what we needed. An unbiased analysis of what happened and a range of recommendations for what to do next,” said Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Jack Sellers, District 1, in a statement.
The report can be read in full below:
More ways to get 12News
On your phone: Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.
On your streaming device: Download 12News+ to your streaming device
The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like "Today in AZ" and "12 News" and our daily lifestyle program, "Arizona Midday"—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
12News+ showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.