SHANNON LONGWORTH: ARIZONA’S MARICOPA COUNTY HAS RELEASED NEW DATA ABOUT MALFUNCTIONS AT SOME OF ITS VOTE CENTERS ON ELECTION DAY.

THE MALFUNCTIONS INVOLVED PRINTERS AT SOME OF THE CENTERS THAT PRINTED BALLOTS TOO LIGHT FOR TABULATORS TO READ.

YESTERDAY, THE COUNTY SAID IT CONFIRMED THE MALFUNCTIONS OCCURRED AT 43 OF THE 223 VOTE CENTERS, ALTHOUGH IT INDICATED THE NUMBER COULD BE AS HIGH AS 63.

CANDIDATE KARI LAKE, WHO LOST TO DEMOCRAT KATIE HOBBS BY 17,000 VOTES, HAS ALLEGED THAT AT LEAST 118 VOTE CENTERS WERE COMPROMISED.

LAKE, WHO HAS YET TO CONCEDE, IS SUING MARICOPA COUNTY OVER THE MALFUNCTIONS. SHE CLAIMS THE PROBLEMS SUBSTANTIALLY ALTERED RESULTS, DESPITE MARICOPA ELECTION OFFICIALS’ INSISTENCE THAT NO ONE WAS PREVENTED FROM VOTING.

IN A RESPONSE TO A LETTER FROM THE ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE DEMANDING FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ISSUE, COUNTY OFFICIALS, ON SUNDAY, PROVIDED THE MOST DETAILED DATA TO DATE, SHOWING THAT THOUSANDS OF AFFECTED VOTERS STILL CAST BALLOTS THAT WERE TABULATED.

LAKE’S CAMPAIGN HAS ALLEGED THE PROBLEMS RESULTED IN LONG LINES AT VOTE CENTERS THAT EFFECTIVELY DISENFRANCHISED VOTERS.

BUT THE COUNTY’S RESPONSE INDICATES A MAJORITY OF VOTE CENTERS HAD A PEAK WAIT TIME OF 15 MINUTES OR LESS. AND WAIT TIMES AT 207 OF THE 233 POLLING LOCATIONS NEVER EXCEEDED AN HOUR.