Paper trays found opened on three ballot printers at Chandler-Gilbert early voting site; sheriff's office investigating

Three ballot-on-demand printers at the early voting site at Chandler-Gilbert Community College were pulled from service Friday after an election inspector found their paper trays had apparently been opened overnight, the Maricopa County Recorder's Office says.

The office described the incident as unauthorized after-hours access in a statement released Friday, Oct. 16. The inspector noticed the trays when he arrived that morning, and the office says they appear to have been opened at some point after the polls closed Thursday evening.

Why the trays matter

Under the recorder's procedures, workers take all ballot paper out of the printers at the end of each day and lock it up, so the trays sit empty overnight and cannot be used. The statement did not say whether anything was found missing or whether any paper was in the trays when they were opened.

Once the inspector reported what he found, the office sent replacement printers to the site and returned the original three for a full forensic examination. Voting at the college went on using the replacement equipment, and the office says there was no interruption and no voter was affected.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office was notified and is investigating along with the college's campus security, according to the statement.

"While this may simply be human error, we will work with law enforcement and update the public upon completion of the investigation," the office said.

Recorder Justin Heap said in the release that voters "deserve to know when concerns arise," and that his office would respond quickly, investigate and share what it finds.

The statement did not say who might have opened the trays. AZ Family, which reported the incident Friday night, quoted the same statement and said early voting at the college was not disrupted.

Sources

recorder.maricopa.gov

azfamily.com