Technical issues disrupt a small number of Maricopa County voters on Election Day

Maricopa County Supervisor Mark Stewart said technical issues caused disruptions for a small number of Election Day voters on Tuesday morning.

“I don’t know if it was the weather last night or what happened. But apparently, the site books were not connecting with the internet,” Stewart, who represents the East Valley’s District 1, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show.

Stewart said he was aware of only a handful of voters being affected by the issue.

“Even one’s too many, but it was about four. And then I didn’t hear about anybody in particular at any of the other locations. I’ve only heard about two locations that had hiccups as it relates to connectivity, but from what I understand right now, we’re running at 100%,” Stewart said just after 11 a.m.

The Maricopa County Elections Department, under the oversight of the Board of Supervisors, is responsible for Election Day voting operations in the Phoenix area. The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office was in charge of early voting and handles all mail ballot signature verification duties.

The elections department said in a social media post that electronic poll books connect to the voter registration database through a secure VPN and are not connected to the internet.

Maricopa County uses electronic poll books to check in voters at voting locations. These poll books are connected to the voter registration database through a secure VPN. They are NOT connected to the internet. A small number have experienced brief connectivity issues today.…

— Maricopa County Elections (@MaricopaVote) July 21, 2026

Stewart knows every voting glitch in the county gets noticed.

“The microscope is upon Maricopa County. It has been for years. And this is our divisional playoff game,” he said of Tuesday’s primary election. “It’s not the Super Bowl, but it’s a very important game for us, and we have to hang on to the ball.”

What to do if you run into technical issues at polling site

Stewart was concerned enough to send an email bulletin with recommendations about what voters who encounter technical issues or other delays at polling places can do.

One option is to vote at one of the Valley’s 230-plus other locations. The Maricopa County elections website has a searchable map that shows the wait times at each site.

In addition, voters who are unable to check in due to technical difficulties can request provisional ballots. The validity of these ballots will be vetted later by election staff and only counted if they are found to be from verified voters.

Subscribe to the KTAR Political Brief newsletter to get our top political stories, exclusive guest interviews and more to your email inbox.

Related

DOJ monitoring polling sites for voting rights compliance in 3 Arizona counties on Election DayLive updates for Arizona’s 2026 primaries: DOJ says it’s watching polls in 3 counties‘We know it’s gonna be close,’ Gov. Katie Hobbs says as likely Andy Biggs matchup loomsElection changes could lead to quicker results in Maricopa County, Adrian Fontes saysArizona voters to choose Republican and Democratic nominees for top education positionAndy Biggs, David Schweikert offer competing visions for Republican Party in Arizona primary