Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell

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Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell will talk about issues regarding the upcoming November 8 election from the county level.

TED SIMONS: ELECTION DAY IS ABOUT A WEEK-AND-A- HALF OFF BUT EARLY VOTING IN ARIZONA IS WELL UNDER WAY. THIS ELECTION IS SHADOWED BY CLAIMS THAT THE VOTE CAN-BE AND POSSIBLY "IS" BEING RIGGED. JOINING US NOW TO ADDRESS THESE AND OTHER CONCERNS IS MARICOPA COUNTY RECORDER HELEN PURCELL. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. THANKS FOR JOINING US.

HELEN PURCELL: YOU ARE WELCOME.

TED SIMONS: IS THIS ELECTION BEING RIGGED?

HELEN PURCELL: NO.

TED SIMONS: HOW ARE YOU RIGGING THIS THING? THAT IS ALL I AM HEARING ABOUT IS IT'S GOING TO BE RIGGED.

HELEN PURCELL: WE ARE NOT. WE ARE DOING AN ELECTION AS WE ALWAYS HAVE. WE HAVE ALREADY AS YOU HAD STARTED WITH THE EARLY VOTING AND HAVE 600,000 EARLY BALLOTS BACK IN THE HOUSE. WE WILL DO THE LOGIC TEST WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE TOMORROW AND START COUNTING THE BALLOTS AFTER THAT. WE HAVE A SYSTEM THAT IS ENCAPSULATED IN THE AREA. IT IS NOT ON THE INTERNET SO I DON'T KNOW HOW PEOPLE THINK IT CAN BE RIGGED.

TED SIMONS: WHEN YOU HEAR PEOPLE SAY WE HAVE TO MONITOR THE POLLING PLACES BECAUSE IT IS OUT THERE AND THEY ARE PLANNING ON RIGGING IT. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

HELEN PURCELL: THINK OF THE THINGS WE HAVE IN PLACE. AS I SAID THEY TEST THE EQUIPMENT BEFORE WE FIRST START COUNTING THE FIRST BALLOT. THE RESULTS COME IN AND WE HAVE A 2% HAND COUNT OF EVERY PRECINCT SO WE KNOW THEY ARE THE SAME AS WE HAD ON ELECTION DAY. WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS IN PLACE FOR PROTECTION OF THE VOTER AND THEIR BALLOT.

TED SIMONS: LET'S GET TO CONCERNS WE HAVE HAD IN THE PAST AND TALKED ABOUT WITH YOU IN THE PAST. THE POLLING PLACES AND WAIT TIMES. WHAT IS BEING DONE TO MONITOR AND/OR REDUCE WAIT TIMES?

HELEN PURCELL: WE HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE THAT WE GAVE TO THE FEDERAL COURT BUT WE PUT A PLAN IN PLACE THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE ENOUGH ELECTRONIC POLLING PLACES, 724 POLLING PLACES AND 5,000 POLL WORKERS ACROSS THE COUNTY. WE HAVE 120 TROUBLESHOOTERS THAT WILL BE GOING AROUND THE COUNTY ALL DAY LONG TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WAIT TIME IS NOT INFRINGED UPON. WE HOPE TO HAVE IT NO MORE THAN 30 MINUTES. WE HAVE BACKUP MACHINES WE CAN PUT IN IF WE ARE SEEING AREAS THAT MIGHT BE LONGER. WE HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE TO DO THAT.

TED SIMONS: YOU SAID 724?

HELEN PURCELL: 724 POLLING PLACES.

TED SIMONS: COMPARE THAT TO THE AUGUST PRIMARY AND THE MARCH PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE ELECTION WHICH HAD THE PROBLEMS?

HELEN PURCELL: WE ALWAYS HAVE 724 FOR REGULAR AND PRIMARY SO WE HAD THAT IN AUGUST AND WE WILL HAVE THAT IN NOVEMBER. AT OUR MARCH ELECTION, THAT IS A SPECIAL ELECTION, SO WE CAN REDUCE THE NUMBER OF POLLING PLACES. WE REDUCED THEM TOO MUCH AND THAT WAS OUR INITIATIVE AND WE KNEW THAT AFTER THE ELECTION.

TED SIMONS: THAT ISSUE HAS BEEN ADDRESSED?

HELEN PURCELL: IT HAS BEEN ADDRESSED.

TED SIMONS: CAN YOU TAKE YOUR EARLY BALLOT TO THE POLLING PLACE?

HELEN PURCELL: ABSOLUTELY.

TED SIMONS: DO YOU HAVE TO STAND IN LINE?

HELEN PURCELL: NO YOU CAN GO RIGHT IN AND PUT THAT IN THE BOX.

TED SIMONS: WHAT IS THE DEADLINE -- IF I WANT TO MAIL IN MY EARLY BALLOT, I BETTER NOT WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER 6TH OR 7TH.

HELEN PURCELL: I WOULD NOT MAIL IT IN AFTER NOVEMBER 1ST. THE POST OFFICE IS GIVING LONGER TO GET THE MAIL TO YOU AND BACK TO US. SO I WOULD CERTAINLY GIVE IT PLENTY OF TIME. WE ARE SAYING NOVEMBER 1ST.

TED SIMONS: AS FAR AS PEOPLE DROPPING OFF BALLOTS AT POLLING PLACES IN MARICOPA COUNTY. WHAT IS GOING ON?

HELEN PURCELL: ANYBODY IS ALLOWED TO DO THAT.

TED SIMONS: I MEAN MORE THAN ONE. SOMEONE ELSE'S BALLOT?

HELEN PURCELL: THEY ARE ALLOWED TO DO THAT. THERE IS NO PROHIBITION FOR US AS ELECTION WORKERS TO DO ANYTHING WITH A PERSON THAT COMES IN WITH BALLOTS. IF THEY COME IN AND DROP OFF THEIR BALLOT THEY DROP IT IN THE BOX LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.

TED SIMONS: DOES THAT ADHERE TO STATE LAW AGAINST COLLECTING BALLOTS?

HELEN PURCELL: THAT IS A CRIMINAL VIOLATION AGAINST BALLOT HARVESTING THAT IS UNDER APPEAL RIGHT NOW. BUT WE ARE NOT IN CHARGE OF DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THE CRIMINAL LAWS THAT ARE IN PLACE.

TED SIMONS: YOU ARE NOT ENFORCING THE LAW?

HELEN PURCELL: THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE LAW THAT SAID ELECTION OFFICIALS YOU NEED TO DO THIS, THIS AND THIS. NOTHING ABOUT THAT AT ALL.

TED SIMONS: HOW DO I KNOW WHERE TO VOTE?

HELEN PURCELL: YOU CAN GO ON THE WEBSITE, YOU CAN GO TO MARICOPA.VOTE AND PUT YOUR NAME IN AND IT WILL TELL YOU YOUR POLLING PLACE. YOU MUST GO TO YOUR ASSIGNED POLLING PLACE FOR YOUR ASSIGNED PRECINCT.

TED SIMONS: IF I GO TO THE WRONG POLLING PLACE WHAT HAPPENS?

HELEN PURCELL: IF YOU VOTE OUT OF YOUR PRECINCT THAT VOTE WILL NOT COUNT. WE ADDED ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE IN TRAINING POLL WORKERS AND AT THE POLLING PLACES. THERE IS A WARNING ON THE BACK OF THE POLL THAT IF YOU VOTE OUT OF PRECINCT THAT WILL VOTE WON'T COUNT.

TED SIMONS: YOU SHOULD NOT GET PAST THE PEOPLE CHECKING YOUR NAME?

HELEN PURCELL: EXACTLY. AND THAT'S WHERE IT IS.

TED SIMONS: YOU SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO EVEN VOTE AT THE WRONG PLACE EVEN IF YOU WANT TO VOTE AT THE WRONG PLACE.

HELEN PURCELL: IF YOU INSIST WE HAVE TO GIVE YOU A PROVISIONAL BALLOT BUT THE ELECTRONIC POLL BOOK GIVES YOU A RECEIPT SHOWING THE CORRECT POLLING PLACE AND THE MAJOR CROSS STREETS.

TED SIMONS: AND THERE IS INCORRECT INFORMATION IN TEMPE POTENTIAL POLLING PLACES. WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT? HAS IT BEEN FIXED?

HELEN PURCELL: YES, WHEN THE BALLOTS GO OUT IT WILL HAVE THE CORRECT ADDRESS. THAT WAS A CHANGE IN THE POLLING PLACE AFTER WE SENT OUT THE INFORMATION.

TED SIMONS: I BRING A BOX OF BALLOTS IN THERE I COULD BE COMMITTING A CRIME JUST --

HELEN PURCELL: I DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. NOBODY GAVE ME THAT AUTHORITY. IF I DON'T HAVE THAT AUTHORITY I CANNOT DO THAT. THAT IS A STATE LAW. IF SOMEBODY ELSE CATCHES YOU, IF THAT GOES TO THE COUNTY ATTORNEY, WHICH IS THE ATTORNEY GENERAL THEY CERTAINLY HAVE THE THAT PREROGATIVE TO DO THAT.

TED SIMONS: WE HAVE LIKE 30 SECONDS LEFT. YOUR BIGGEST CONCERN FOR THIS ELECTION AS FAR AS GETTING THESE VOTES TABULATED, SECURITY, POLLING PLACES THE WHOLE NINE YARDS.

HELEN PURCELL: MY BIG CONCERN IS TO MAKE THE VOTER FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING IS GOOD IN THAT ELECTION. THAT EVERYTHING IS SAFE IN THAT ELECTION AND WHEN WE ARE HEARING THESE THINGS OUT THERE THAT IS WHAT CONCERNS ME THE MOST. TO TAMP DOWN THOSE THINGS THAT ARE BEING SAID THAT ARE NOT TRUE.

TED SIMONS: THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. APPRECIATE IT.

HELEN PURCELL: OKAY.

Helen Purcell, Maricopa County Recorder

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