Claim: Arizona had fraudulent polling and mailing practices
On Election Day, about 60 polling places in Maricopa County, Arizona, experienced ballot printing glitches and voter fraud allegations. However, this is not the only such claim from Arizona.
Ann Instagram post Share November 10 included Screenshot from Gettr’s post, A social media network run by an aide to former President Donald Trump. In your post, pollster named Sarah O’Neill alleges inconsistent voting activity was observed at vote centers in Maricopa County on Election Day.
“1,018. Number of voters checked in. 1,218 total votes per tape + Door # 3,” reads Gettr’s post. “Suspicious. Where did the extra 200 votes come from??? 250+ Vote Centers = 50k. Reported to AZ GOP.”
O’Neill claims that “the dropbox already contained dozens of ballots, still sealed,” and that sheriffs were called in to witness the activity.
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The post has over 200 likes in less than a week.Hundreds of similar posts have accumulated Interaction upon Instagram.
However, officials from multiple agencies said there was no truth to O’Neill’s allegations.
Maricopa County officials told USA TODAY that no extra ballots were counted at any polling place in the county and they saw no evidence that the drop-boxes were unsafe. Officials at the agency say they were not contacted by O’Neill, but her post claims that they were.
USA TODAY reached out to O’Neill for comment.
The county has a process to ensure that all legal ballots are counted only once
O’Neill claimed there was a discrepancy between the number of voters who checked in and the number of votes cast, but said it was impossible because poll monitors do not have access to voter check-in data. . Megan Gilbertson Director of Communications for the Maricopa County Election Commission.
None of the 223 vote centers in Maricopa County recorded the extra 200 votes, Gilbertson said.
“Additionally, a process is in place at every election to adjust vote totals for Election Day check-ins,” Gilbertson told USA TODAY in an email. “This ensures that every legal vote counts only once for him.”
In the post, O’Neill claims to have reported the extra-vote allegations to the Republican Party in Arizona, although the party has received no such report. Christy Donnell A spokesperson for the party told USA TODAY in a direct message.
Tammy Patrick A senior adviser to the Fund for Democracy Elections and Voting Program said checks were being implemented to prevent ballot boxes from being jammed.
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“To get your ballot, you have to complete an invoice or application. Patrick said. “You must already be registered. If you are not registered, it is a provisional ballot.”
all dropboxes were secure
Contrary to the Post’s claims, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office was not at a drop box location to witness the activities conducted by election officials. Calvert Gillette A spokeswoman for the agency told USA TODAY in an email.
The paper’s claims that drop-boxes in the county already contained dozens of sealed ballots were vague, but officials said there was no evidence of malicious activity at the boxes. ing.
According to Gilbertson, there are two types of ballot boxes used at polling stations. However, all ballot boxes were secured on Election Day and nothing led to fraud.
Gilbertson said the ballot boxes attached to the tallying machines did not contain ballots before Election Day. Sealed and locked by polling station officials. She said the only way to do a poll is to turn on the precinct counter and run the poll.
Gilbertson said there was also an early voting drop-box that was accepting votes until 7 p.m. on Election Day. A bipartisan ballot courier received early ballots from polling places each day.
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lead story exposed Claim.
Our Rating: No
Based on our investigation, we discredit the allegations that Arizona engaged in fraudulent ballot counting and drop-box activities. Officials said they had not contacted the person O’Neill claimed to be a contact and were unable to see the voter data she claimed to have cited. No additional votes were counted at any polling place in Maricopa County on Election Day, officials said. There are also checks in place to ensure that each vote is associated with a legitimate voter. On Election Day, all drop-boxes were secured and nothing led to fraudulent activity.
Fact-check sources:
- Calvert Gillette November 15 Email exchange with USA TODAY
- Megan Gilbertson Email exchange and phone interview with USA TODAY on November 15-16
- Tammy Patrick November 16 USA TODAY telephone interview
- Kirsty Donnell November 16 Email exchange with USA TODAY
- Lead Stories, November 14th, FACT CHECK: Arizona’s ‘polls’ couldn’t access voter check-in data — 200 extra people didn’t vote
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