Goodyear election follows Plan B with new equipment
Maricopa County Election officials have initiated a backup plan to ship in new election equipment for Goodyear’s special election on March 9, according to an elections department spokesperson.
The move comes after Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Timothy Thomason ruled Feb. 26 that the county had to turn over voting equipment, which would have been used for Goodyear’s election, to the Arizona Senate to conduct an audit of the 2020 general election.
Goodyear, a suburb southwest of Phoenix, contracts with the county to handle its elections. Phoenix also has an election next week, but will handle its own election.
Prepping to count Goodyear’s ballots
The county will use equipment that was shipped from its contracted vendor, Dominion Voting Systems, for Goodyear’s election. The new equipment includes:
2 ballot count tabulators.
1 new server.
2 work stations to compile and report results.
1 adjudication station in which two members of differing political parties review any ballots the tabulation equipment can’t read due to smudges or ambiguous marks.
Dominion Voting Systems is an election technology supplier that was at the center of controversy surrounding the 2020 general election.
Claims that Dominion machines were compromised and led to inaccurate vote counts on Nov. 3 were found false by audits.
The equipment will undergo logic and accuracy testing, which state law requires, at 2 p.m. Monday, according to Megan Gilbertson, an Elections Department spokesperson. The city clerk will be there for the testing, and the chairs of the Maricopa County Republican Party and Democratic Party are invited to attend.
What’s on the Goodyear ballot?
The election asks Goodyear voters to decide on 10 measures to change the city charter, such as how city elected leaders approve their own pay raises and whether Goodyear should eventually switch to district-based elections.
Gilbertson said the tabulators can process 3,000 ballots an hour so there should be no delay from enacting the backup plan.
The county had processed 8,171 ballots from Goodyear residents as of March 4, which is 14.25% of Goodyear registered voters. Normal turnout for special elections depends on the city but typically ranges between 20% and 30%, Gilbertson said.
The county will post results at 8 p.m. election night but won’t have all votes counted and finalized until March 12.