Maricopa County printers failed due to thickness of new paper: report

Maricopa County’s ballot printers malfunctioned in the 2022 elections due to the thickness of newly ordered paper, according to a new report from a former justice on the Arizona Supreme Court.

The former justice, Ruth McGregor, released her report on the topic Monday, finding that the ballots used in the 2022 election were both longer and thicker than in past years, adding stress to the county’s printers. While election officials tested the machines prior to Election Day, McGregor said they didn’t test for the same volume of printing that came when polls opened.

“Nothing we learned in our interviews or document reviews gave any clear indication that the problems should have been anticipated,” McGregor wrote in the report.

Kari Lake, the defeated Republican nominee for Arizona governor who has long blamed election fraud for her loss, dismissed McGregor’s report soon after its release.

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“Maricopa County has released the results of their internal investigation & has SHOCKINGLY found themselves not guilty of any crime,” Lake’s campaign Twitter account wrote. “We told you this was a farce. These people don’t think your vote or your opinion matters. And anyone who takes the results of this ‘investigation’ seriously is part of the problem.”

The Arizona Supreme Court has already dismissed most, but not all, of Lake’s claims challenging the 2022 election verification process. Lake’s legal team submitted seven complaints, all but one of which were dismissed in late March.

Lake lost the election to now-Gov. Katie Hobbs by roughly 17,000 votes, but is challenging the results in a lawsuit that questioned ballot printer accuracy and the application of signature verification procedures in Maricopa County.

Lake’s political future in Arizona is unclear, as she is rumored to be interested in running for Arizona’s U.S. Senate seat in 2024. Rumors also say former President Trump is interested in her as a potential running mate.

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Lake denied any ambitions beyond her fight over the 2022 elections, however, telling Fox Digital last month that she remained “100% dedicated to serving as Arizona governor.”

“I will also work to make sure President Trump gets back in the White House ASAP. Anything outside of those two goals is nothing but a distraction,” she added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.