When did we become a third-world hellhole, when it comes to elections? Well, I don’t know exactly, these shenanigans could have been going on for decades, but I can tell you when we noticed it — 2020. And from that moment on, it’s as if we’re entering a three-ring-circus when it’s time to vote. And now, suddenly, in these blue areas of the country, they can’t count votes “day of” and need DAYS” to sit behind closed doors, counting ballots. Gee, that doesn’t feel weird and cheaty, does it?
And even if you forget the whole “late-night ballot harvesting” nonsense, what about all these absurd snafus that are happening, namely in PA (where they’ve run out of paper in red areas) and AZ, where 1 in 5 polling locations in Maricopa County, Ariz., were experiencing a technical problem with their ballot tabulator machines in the first hours of Election Day. Oh, good “officials,” said it would be okay. That’s wonderful because everyone really trusts “officials” these days.
How comforting.
🙄
Well, we now have the so-called “reason” for the chaotic “Three Stooges” moment at red polling areas in Maricopa County…
They had the wrong printer settings. I guess Larry, Curly, and Moe got confused.
And now, I am not joking, and Fox News pundit Katy Pavlich was literally dumbfounded… and I don’t blame her one bit.
Here’s what Katie said: “Printer settings. They didn’t have the proper settings before today. Incredible.”
Printer settings. They didn’t have the proper settings before today. Incredible. https://t.co/B8HddIQElq
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) November 8, 2022
I just want you to look at how this NBC local Arizona affiliate excuses this massive mess like it’s no big deal:
Maricopa County Elections Department officials said that the source of tabulation issues that led to problems at roughly 60 Maricopa County Vote centers has been solved.
“It appears some of the printers were not producing dark enough timing marks on the ballot,” officials said.
Changing the printer settings has already worked at 17 locations, and technicians deployed throughout the county are working to fix the problem at the remaining locations.Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer apologized for the inconvenience and insisted that every legal vote will be tabulated.
At the end of the day, who hasn’t struggled with a printer before?
Well, maybe if they would have TESTED this prior to the election, they would have noticed the problem.
And this is how NPR covered this very serious issue — they blamed the “right-wing” for even talking about it.
The issues with the tabulators were quickly used by right-leaning influencers as fuel for their claims that the 2022 midterms are vulnerable to election fraud, according to the Election Integrity Partnership, a research coalition that focuses on misinformation around elections.
“Attention spiked after a tweet from Charlie Kirk, which fueled others who allege that these machine failures are deliberate,” the research group said.
“There is high likelihood that these narratives around machine malfunctions will gain traction in other states,” the Election Integrity Partnership said, adding that influencers and their audiences are looking to amplify such stories.
It’s not uncommon for machine malfunctions and other balloting problems to arise at election time, when millions of people rush to cast their votes.
Such snags can prompt a range of reactions from politicians and pundits, from encouraging voters to endure the delay to suggesting the problems are the sign of a coordinated conspiracy.
Far-right figures from Arizona senatorial candidate Blake Masters to Republican National Committee member Tyler Bowyer tweeted about the problem Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump — who has spent the past two years sowing doubts and mistruths about the U.S. election system — also weighed in, saying that in Maricopa, problems were reported in GOP-leaning areas.
Our media is absolutely worthless.
Why do these “missteps” always seem to happen in “red” areas? Have you noticed that?
Here’s what people online are saying:
“So genius for printer settings or drivers to be misconfigured in mostly Red precincts, that required an Election Day fix in Maricopa County.”
“So the ‘Eco-friendly Toner Saving Mode’ wasn’t printing correctly. Imagine that.”
“From what I understand, here in Douglas county, Nebraska they test the machines a lot before any election. Why wouldn’t they have done this?”
“Printer settings causing tabulators not to count — Sounds suspicious to me!”
“I don’t know about you, but I feel that this is suspicious?”
“Why do we look like a 3rd world country now when it comes to voting?”
“I’m just spitballing here, but I kind of thought county officials tested the settings BEFORE ELECTION DAY.”
“Hours have went by and many have left their precinct just have the problem be the printers. Yet we have to just pretend this wasn’t done on purpose when this is their responsibility to have everything ready for today one of the main days Rep. come out to vote…terrible”
“They had one job to do, this is shameful beyond belief”
“And Biden wonders why the American people don’t trust our banana republic elections?”
“Our governments are so inept, they can’t even figure out their printers. It’s crazy.”
“Seems like something that would have been tested….repeatedly”
And for all the liberals claiming that “Republicans run the Maricopa County elections,” that’s not quite right. The Secretary of State (who’s running for governor) also certifies election equipment, conducts logic & accuracy tests on election equipment, administers HAVA funds, and maintains the statewide voter registration database.
So, my question is this… did Katie Hobbs sign off on these malfunctioning machines in red areas?
This post originally appeared on WayneDupree.com.