Arizona voting machine malfunction fuels fraud claims in far-right circles

Bill Gates discussing Maricopa machine issues
(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

Malfunctioning voting machines in Arizona's biggest county, Maricopa, spurred an outpouring of fraud claims by leading right-wing figures on Election Day.

The pivotal county reported issues with the vote-counting machines in some polling locations, but later confirmed that the problem was with the printers, not the software, reports The New York Times. County officials also emphasized that no ballots were mishandled and that nobody was prevented from voting. "None of this indicates any fraud," said Republican Bill Gates, chairman of the Maricopa County board of supervisors. "This is a technical issue."

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Devika Rao, The Week US

 Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.