Official says Arizona special primary election going well despite few snags

PHOENIX — A special primary election to replace former U.S. Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) was going well Tuesday despite a few snags in operations, a county official said.

“As with any endeavor like this, we’re really glad that some of the hiccups have been reported to us,” Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes said. “We’ve got teams in place to deal with some of those issues when they do come up.”

Fontes said any errors — such as a polling place near Union Hills Drive and 99th Avenue that opened without any ballot paper — were typically resolved within 30 minutes.

Voters were also given options when a problem arose, such as using a machine to cast a ballot or being sent to another polling location.

Fontes said his office expected a few bumps in the road, especially as it implemented a new system that should have long-term benefits.

“It’s a system that’s a lot more secure, it’s a lot more accountable, it’s a lot more voter-friendly and it’s different,” he said. “That little bit of change is going to come with a hiccup here and there.”

Overall, Fontes said the special primary election was moving along nicely.

“Turnout looks really good. We’re getting lots of positive feedback from our poll workers,” he said, adding that voters were pleased with an improved check-in process.

Fontes said his office had received 101,470 early ballots prior to Tuesday. Of those, 99,627 had been tabulated.

Early results of the special primary election were expected to be released about 8 p.m.

KTAR News’ Kathy Cline contributed to this report.

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