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Residents press election-integrity concerns at Navajo County meeting; polling workers defend procedures
Summary
Multiple residents raised questions about provisional ballots, poll-pad and tabulator procedures and called for a return to hand-counted paper ballots; a longtime polling worker and another resident defended current county election practices.
During the meeting’s call to the public, several residents raised concerns about election procedures and provisional ballot handling, while another longtime poll worker and a resident offered a public defense of county election staff.
Liz Olmstead read declarations from two residents who said their provisional ballots in 2022 were later reported as not counted after being placed in provisional envelopes. "We were required to submit a provisional ballot because our address was changed in the system between the primary and general elections," one declaration read; Olmstead asked the board to consider removing poll pads and returning to paper books.
Donna Sherwin, who described herself as a longtime polls worker, recounted setting up express-vote machines and said she was told to leave certain devices powered overnight despite manuals advising shutdown. She raised chain-of-custody concerns about central counting and drop boxes and asked how ballot security is assured.
Another speaker (Kelly) urged the board to consider moving back to hand-counted precinct paper ballots and alleged that certain federal or contractor relationships had undermined transparency; Kelly asked the board to vote on returning to hand counts or face a legal writ.
A final commenter, Carol Owens, who also has decades of poll-working experience, defended the county’s elections staff and described her confidence in current procedures. "I am proud of how our elections are run," she said, and thanked county election officials by name for their work.
Board members did not engage with or debate the substance of the comments during call to the public; the board’s open-comment rules were reiterated at the start of the session and the board did not take immediate action on the allegations.
What happens next: The comments were recorded in the meeting minutes; any follow-up or investigations would be at the discretion of appropriate county offices or law enforcement if formal complaints are filed.
