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Phoenix polling places won't stay open late after morning delay

Posted at 9:07 AM, Aug 28, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-28 20:15:45-04

All Phoenix-area polling locations are operational after several closed during Arizona's primary election because of a problem getting machines set up on time.

Sophia Solis, a spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Recorder's Office, said all locations were operational as of about 11 a.m. Tuesday.

By Tuesday afternoon, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors announced they wouldn't petition to keep those polling places open late after the late start, saying the move could "confuse voters, delay returns and have other unprecedented consequences."

Board chairman Steve Churcri reminded voters that anyone in line by 7 p.m. would have their vote counted.

It's unclear exactly how many locations failed to open on time, but elections officials said earlier that four had been shut down Tuesday morning and they had expected about 250 places to have issues.

There are about 750 polling locations in the state's most populous county, which includes metro Phoenix.

The secretary of state's office says no issues have been reported elsewhere in Arizona.

County Recorder Adrian Fontes said a contractor hired to set up the machines didn't send enough people to do the work Monday.
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11:10 a.m.

A contractor hired to set up voting machines in the Phoenix area failed to send enough technicians, leaving several polling places down during Arizona's primary election.

Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes said Tuesday that his office in the state's most populous county learned of the issues Monday afternoon. He says he sent his staff to as many locations as possible to make fixes.

Fontes says he had expected up to 250 locations not being operational by Tuesday morning, but only four sites were down by 10 a.m. It's unclear how many polling places were down when they were supposed to open.

Fontes says the contractor didn't set up the machines on time. More than 100 calls from voters have reported problems Tuesday.

It comes more than two years after Phoenix-area voters endured hourslong lines after the county cut polling locations.