Arizona midterms voting machine problem leads to long queues and frustration

Republicans are raising the question of election integrity in Maricopa county

Sealed ballots are seen on the ground as a citizen drives up to drop their vote at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre on the US midterm Election Day in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. AFP

A voter drops off their ballot. AP

Bill Gates, chairman of the Maricopa Board of Supervisors, speaks about voting machine malfunctions in Phoenix, Arizona. He said that about 20 percent of polling stations in the county have had tabulation machine malfunctions, where some ballots cannot be read. AFP

An image depicting false election information is displayed in Phoenix, Arizona. AFP

Republican candidate for Arizona Governor Kari Lake is joined by her attorney while taking questions from reporters after voting in the midterm elections in the Maricopa County town of Phoenix, Arizona. Reuters

Election officials process ballots in Phoenix. After months of talk about reproductive rights, threats to democracy, climate change, immigration and crime, the US midterm elections are coming down to the way Americans feel about the overall state of the economy and, in particular, inflation. Bloomberg

Maricopa County Recorders officials and law enforcement retrieve drop box ballots after the polls closed. AP

Police close off the entrance to the Maricopa County Recorders Office in Phoenix. AP

Lily, 69, and James Rogers, 79, pose for a picture after voting at the Town Hall Post office during the US midterm elections, in Paradise Valley, Arizona. AFP

Election officials process ballots in Phoenix. Bloomberg

A voter waits in line in the town of Cave Creek, Arizona. Reuters

Sheriff Paul Penzone speaks as election officials and police hold a news conference to warn against 'false election narratives' in Phoenix, Arizona. EPA

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The election problems faced by Arizona’s largest county, Maricopa, started early and lingered throughout the day.

As polls begin to close in this week's US midterm elections, a problem with printing toner meant some of the county’s vote tabulating machines could not accept ballots.

It was a problem that occurred at about 60 out of the county's 223 locations. In some instances, it led to long queues and lots of frustration.

Voter Robert Moody said there was “zero confidence in their voting machines because there were more ballots being rejected by the machines than being accepted”.

In a trend led by former president Donald Trump, election integrity has been at the forefront of these midterms, with dozens of Republican candidates who have questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election on the ticket.

The right immediately jumped on the problem in Arizona to question the electoral process.

Mr Trump weighed in on his official account on his social media platform Truth Social.

“There’s a lot of bad things going on,” he said in a video.

Mr Trump claimed officials in Maricopa County were trying to “delay” people to stop them voting and urged Republicans to stay in line and vote.

Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for governor, filed an injunction that was rejected by a judge, trying to extend the polls opening hours from 7pm to 10pm.

The county spent much of the day frantically trying to address the issue and calm a voting base already harbouring some concerns over election integrity following Mr Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 presidential election.

On social media, some high-profile far-right personalities said they were on their way to the state amid the controversy.

“There is nothing that happened here today that would indicate, in my opinion, a need to be out here to address some injustice,” said Bill Gates, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, which oversees the elections.

Mr Gates urged voters to accept the count.

“We need people to acknowledge the results.”

With 843,000 early ballots counted in Maricopa, the Democratic candidates for senator and governor have sizeable leads.

Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly leads with 59 per cent of the vote, compared with his Republican counterpart Blake Masters, on 39 per cent.

Katie Hobbs, the Democratic choice for governor, leads Ms Lake — a disciple of Mr Trump — by 16 points.

Earlier in the day, Ms Lake vowed that if elected, she would be the media's “worst freaking nightmare for eight years”.

The former news anchor has yet to say whether she would accept the results of the election should she lose.

The results are not surprising as Republicans tend to cast their ballots in person on the day, meaning the margins are likely to be close.

Outside the county’s tabulation centre, at a secure fortress-like structure in downtown Phoenix, surrounded by dozens of police officers, a man who identified himself only as Larry G was calling for the county to count all the ballots by hand.

“We still want a headcount. It’s not about who is winning today, it’s about getting rid of the fraud and the theft from now on,” he said.

Larry, wearing a stars-and-stripes tie and holding an American flag, said he was convinced the 2020 election was stolen.

It is a refrain that was echoed repeatedly throughout the campaign by both of the state's highest-profile candidates, Ms Lake and Mr Masters.