Phoenix (3TV/CBS 5) — Election Day ballot print quality was an issue in November, but the issue was quickly resolved the same day. But that doesn’t mean the process can’t be improved, says Maricopa County Oversight Board Chairman Bill Gates and Vice Chairman Clint Hickman.

In a joint statement sent late Friday morning, the pair announced an investigation into a printer issue that affected voters on Election Day. “When things go wrong, we find out why,” the statement said. Gates and Hickman got former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor to agree to lead the investigation. She had previously investigated an issue with state prison cell door locks in 2019.

“Justice McGregor hired a team of independent experts to find out that printers that successfully read ballots in the August primary election could print some ballots while using the same settings in the November general election. “Our voters deserve nothing more. Maricopa County is happy to have Judge McGregor fill this role,” the statement continued. We appreciate her and look forward to her discoveries.”

On election day, pollsters learned that some of the printers were not producing ink thick enough for the tallyers to read. “This was a surprise to everyone,” Gates said at the time. A solution was found around 2:00 p.m., and technicians reportedly fixed all the machines before voting closed.

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