Polling place issues was one of the big stories during Tuesday's primary elections.
During the afternoon, Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes asked the Board of Supervisors to consider asking for an extension of voting hours. That request was denied.
"The Recorder's Office received $3.9 million for new technology last fiscal year and appropriated almost $20 million for elections this fiscal year, so there is no shortage of resources to run a successful election," Chairman Steve Churci said in a statement.
Fontes blamed a contractor that was supposed to assemble the check-in systems.
But, in a statement, that company, Tempe-based Insight said, in part: “When polling locations opened this morning, voter validation machines were not fully operational at 43 of 461 polling sites – almost exclusively as a result of lack of site readiness and on-site connectivity issues. Insight’s responsibilities to provide technical support did not extend to those matters.”
The statement goes on to say “Insight shares the frustration that voters felt today and has been working diligently to help the county resolve technical issues as they arise. Insight is committed to working with the county to ensure that disruptions to the voting process do not continue in future elections.”
