CLAIM: Voting locations in Maricopa County, Arizona, closed early and without notice on Election Day.
AP Rating: Missing Context. Of the county's 45 election sites, seven mailboxes were closed before his Nov. 7 7 p.m. All closures were scheduled and published in the newspapers. County election websiteHowever, some public messages suggested all boxes would be open until 7 p.m.
FACT: Social media users claim that when voters in Maricopa County, Arizona tried to cast their ballots in Tuesday's election, they found the doors locked and the building shuttered.
Many people are sharing a video of three voters being interviewed outside the election venue, after learning that it was already closed. An off-camera and unseen interviewer said the location was the Paradise Valley Unified School District office in Phoenix.
“I came to vote because I was supposed to be able to vote until 7 p.m., but it's already 5:19 p.m. and they're already closed, so I'm thinking of throwing away my ballot,” said one voter sitting in his car. . outside the office.
“Maricopa County – they rigged the election again!” one user wrote, sharing the nearly two-minute clip on X (formerly known as Twitter). “The Records Office tells voters they can vote until 7 p.m., and the doors will close at 4:30.”
However, the early closure of school district offices did not come out of nowhere, as social media posts claim. Business hours were announced months before the election.
The site also wasn't where voters could cast their votes in this week's election. It was a ballot drop-off site where residents could submit their completed forms.
“Nothing closed 'early' on Election Day,” Jennifer Liewer, Maricopa County's deputy director of elections, wrote in an email. “We closed at the scheduled time announced from September 21st.''
She added that all locations where people can vote in person will be open until 7 p.m. The Paradise Valley School District office was one of seven mailbox sites scheduled to be closed by then.
Voters who mistakenly showed up at Paradise Valley Unified School District offices could have attended nearby Sunset Canyon Elementary School. This elementary school is operated by the school district. less than 3 miles Leewer pointed out that it is located far from the office.
School system spokesman Matt Droghe said drop boxes at district offices closed at 4:30 p.m., in keeping with regular district office hours, but elementary school locations were open for those who wanted to return their ballots at 7 p.m. It was admitted that it was open till then. Or cast directly.
Indeed, some of the county's pre-election messages were did not reveal Some sites are scheduled to close early.
“Ballot exchange centers and drop boxes will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” the elections department announced. press release.
But Liewer insisted that detailed information for each location is clearly listed on the county's election website.
“There were 45 locations on Election Day, and this was the most effective way to let voters know where to go,” she wrote in an email. “Even if we had said, 'Some ballot boxes close early,' we would have directed people to the website to find out where to go.”
Technically, there was no in-person voting on Tuesday, and all voters were given a ballot sent to their home and could either return it by mail or drop it off in person at a designated drop-off box location. county elections office.
However, if the original ballot is damaged for any reason, residents can request a replacement and vote in person.
The election focused primarily on local issues, with six cities and 23 school districts considering bond issues requiring voter approval for public works spending and other measures.
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