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Mohave County elections staff say BallotGuard paper tabulates correctly but causes high feed errors; recommend not using it
Summary
After testing BallotGuard paper, Mohave County Elections staff found correct vote tallies but high multi-feed and pick error rates on their tabulators and recommended against printing ballots on BallotGuard for county elections; staff suggested exploring printed security markings as a better option.
Mohave County Elections Department staff reported to the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 16 that BallotGuard ballot paper tallied all test ballots correctly but produced frequent multi-feed and pick errors on the county's tabulation equipment, leading staff to recommend against printing ballots on BallotGuard paper for Mohave County elections.
Why it matters: The county said BallotGuard's embedded security features are attractive for counterfeiting protection, but operational performance — speed and reliability of tabulation on the county's existing tabulators — is essential for timely reporting and accurate processing of ballots. Staff said BallotGuard would slow tabulation and increase staff time because it produces jams and requires re-running ballots.
What staff tested and found
- Test scope: Elections staff and engineers ran roughly 3,236 ballots through central-count tabulators. Staff also used an 850-ballot test deck marked to match the county's 2024 general-election decks to compare performance.
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