Boxes of ballots sit in the Maricopa County Recorder and Elections Department offices after Arizona’s primary election Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:23 AM PT – Friday, August 5, 2022
Pinal County officials in Arizona are taking heat for major errors in this week’s primary election. The county fired its elections director, David Frisk, after a series of debacles left voters outraged. Frisk was let go on Thursday and replaced by Pinal County Recorder Virginia Ross.
Election officials said they are embarrassed that over 20 precincts in the county had run low or ran out of in-person ballots during Tuesday’s primary elections. Although no official cause of the shortage has been given, high demand and printing errors have been suggested as possible factors.
“I’m not entirely sure how the ballot shortage happened,” stated county official Jeffrey McClure. “We opened the boxes, there weren’t enough ballots, so we’re not really quite sure how that occurred.
Republican ballots were in great shortage at voting centers by early afternoon. GOP Sen. Kelly Townsend, who lost to Wendy Rogers earlier in the week, is demanding a do-over. She claimed voters were being turned away by 1pm on Election Day.
Update from the Elections Department on Primary Election Count Timeline.
To view results, click here: https://t.co/WjE9AuWbnU pic.twitter.com/tjI65dXssG
— Pinal County – Government 🌵 (@PinalCounty) August 5, 2022
Incoming Elections Director Ross said she’s focused on tying up all loose ends in the primary to restore confidence before moving on to the November’s general election.
“I’m glad that this county has finally taken some positive steps to get other people in there who have experience and knowledge and integrity,” said Maricopa City Councilman Henry Wade.
Officials have speculated they may not be able to certify election results if there’s a possibility