Maricopa GOP Chair Reports Printer and Tabulator Issues on Election Day

Maricopa County Republican Committee Chairman Craig Berland reported printer and ballot-tabulator problems at several voting locations Tuesday, raising concerns about delays and voter discouragement as county officials said all 254 vote centers opened on schedule.

Berland told The Gateway Pundit that he began contacting the Elections Department about problems before polls opened for Arizona’s November 3 general election.

“I started texting the elections department at 530 this morning with problems,” Berland told Gateway Pundit White House correspondent Jordan Conradson.

In the interview, Berland described inoperable ballot printers and tabulators having difficulty reading ballots. The report did not identify the affected locations by name or provide a complete count of sites experiencing equipment problems.

.@MaricopaGOP Chairman Craig Berland confirms to me that some vote centers are completely down, multiple are experiencing ballot printer issues, and some tabulators are not reading ballots, spitting them out—it’s “drawer 3” from 2022 all over again.

“That’s bullshit” Berland… https://t.co/DjmQI16hT6

— Jordan Conradson🇺🇸 (@ConradsonJordan) November 3, 2026

The county separately said all 254 vote centers opened at 6 a.m. Arizona’s Family reported that a power outage affecting the Laveen Elementary School District Office voting location was resolved in time for its scheduled opening.

Berland criticized what he described as an equipment replacement during the transition from early voting to Election Day operations. He said poll workers were required to remove poll books and printers supplied by the Recorder’s Office and replace them with equipment supplied by the Board of Supervisors after early voting ended Friday.

“All the early voting sites, they had election equipment, and I’m specifically talking about poll books and printers that were put in there by the Recorder’s Office because it’s early voting,” he told The Gateway Pundit.

Berland argued that retaining equipment already operating at those locations could have prevented printer problems. His account did not establish a technical cause for the reported malfunctions.

He also said voters encountered tabulator difficulties involving ballots with unmarked contests, known as undervotes, and were directed to deposit ballots for later counting at the county’s central facility.

“That’s just bullshit,” Berland said of the reported errors.

Maricopa County’s published election guidance states that when a voter leaves a contest blank or selects fewer candidates than allowed, the marked selections are still counted.

The county also outlined its procedure for ballots an on-site tabulator cannot read in a November 2 Election Day announcement. Under that procedure, voters place those ballots in a slot below the tabulator for counting at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center. Berland’s account did not establish that ballots deposited through that process would go uncounted.

The Gateway Pundit reported that county Communications Manager Jessie Caraveo said she would call back with additional information. The outlet said it had not received that response when its story was published.

Tuesday’s equipment allegations followed confirmed temporary closures at two vote centers Monday. The county’s public updates attributed the closures at Paradise Valley Community College and Sunset Canyon School to power-related issues and subsequently announced that both locations had reopened.

At a Monday briefing, Elections Director Scott Jarrett said he did not know the exact cause of those outages, according to Cronkite News. The locations reopened before noon. Deputy Elections Director Jennifer Liewer discussed the heavy rainfall and storms affecting the area and power companies’ restoration efforts.

Discussing incidents preceding Election Day, Berland also described a fire alarm that prompted an evacuation and an alleged deliberate power interruption as “apparent sabotage.” The Gateway Pundit report did not provide an investigative finding establishing deliberate interference.

Despite his criticism, Berland urged voters to participate.

“Our message to all of Maricopa County and to the people that follow us globally is: No matter what, vote,” he said.

Maricopa County’s voting guidance allows registered county voters to cast a ballot at any county vote center. Locations and estimated wait times are available through Locations.Maricopa.Vote. Polls are scheduled to remain open until 7 p.m.