Independent Investigation Finds ‘No Human Error’ In Maricopa County Poll Day Printer Debacle

In a newly released report, independent investigators conclude that a slew of ballot-on-demand printer failures in the Nov. 8, 2022, general election in Arizona’s largest county resulted from equipment malfunction, not human error.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) hired former Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ruth McGregor, a Republican, to lead the investigation to determine what caused so many printers to fail in the general election, why they performed without problems in previous elections, and to suggest solutions to prevent future issues.

“The MCAO made it clear at the outset that this investigation should be independent and free of any outside influence,” McGregor wrote.

Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Clint Hickman said he called for an outside investigation of reports of ballot printers malfunctioning “as soon as this happened.”

In a statement, Hickman said, “We don’t grade our own homework, and now that we have a better idea of the factors involved, we’ll make changes to serve voters best, starting with replacing some equipment.”

Over two months, McGregor’s team looked at reports of printer malfunctions that affected approximately 60 vote centers in Maricopa County, resulting in long lines of frustrated voters and cries of voter disenfranchisement.

The report concludes that no one could have predicted the widespread printer problems, given that the 2022 August primary election went mainly without a hitch.

“Any failure in the process or human error relates to a failure to anticipate and prepare for the printer failures experienced. But nothing we learned in our interviews or document reviews gave any clear indication that the problems should have been anticipated,” McGregor wrote in the 38-page report.

“Most of the printers had been used during the August 2022 primary election, as well as prior elections, without experiencing similar problems,” McGregor wrote.

During February and March, McGregor’s investigators printed and counted 9,100 ballots on randomly chosen printers and tabulators—and interviewed county and Runbeck Election Systems employees who used the printers—and experts in election procedures.

Runbeck is the third-party company the county hired to perform off-site tabulation of election ballots.

Printers Not Up to Task

McGregor wrote that the combination of the 100-pound weight ballot paper and a 20-inch ballot during the 2022 general election pushed the county’s Oki B432 printers to the limit of their capacity that could “not be sustained by a substantial number of printers.”

During the 2022 primary, Maricopa County used the retrofitted Oki B432 and Lexmark C4150 ballot-on-demand printers at county vote centers. The printers used the same settings in the 2022 election.

County election officials also increased the ballot length from 19 inches to 20 inches due to the many candidates and propositions that could not fit on the smaller ballot.

Still, according to the report, the county conducted extensive “stress tests” on the ballot printers and found no issues. The county assigned 591 printers for 223 vote centers during the 2022 general election.

The report stated that Maricopa County made technical changes between the 2020 and 2022 primary and general elections that “could have affected the performance of the printers.”

Almost immediately, on the morning of the general election, Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC) in Phoenix began receiving calls from precinct vote centers that many tabulators would not accept ballots.

Those ballots were set aside in a secure box for later tabulation at MCTEC.

“At the outset, Maricopa County and Runbeck identified the cause of the reported problem as being either the on-site tabulator off the [ballot-on-demand] printers,” the report stated.

The county concluded that several older printers could not maintain heat sufficient to print ballots dark enough to be read by the tabulators. The report appears to corroborate that finding.

In a statement, supervisors vice chairman Jack Sellers said the report is “exactly what we needed—an unbiased analysis of what happened and a range of recommendations for what to do.”

Machine Failure ‘Unacceptable’

“Whether it’s replacing printers, using different paper, or changing the way we test equipment before an election, you can be sure our board will take any steps necessary to ensure in-person voters have the experience they deserve in 2024,” Sellers said.

“I’m grateful for Justice McGregor’s exhaustive investigative report,” added Supervisor Thomas Galvin.

“I have always maintained that these failures were unacceptable, and we needed to address them and work on improvements.”

“This report lays out how equipment failures were the main cause of the problems on Election Day. This report also notes how procedural matters should be bolstered to increase the likelihood of catching potential problems.

“I welcome and agree with that assessment. There are other potential policy solutions identified in the re