The county official who took the blame for hours-long lines that plagued this year’s presidential primary in Arizona was dumped from office amid widespread frustration among voters over the bungled election. Republican Helen Purcell conceded on Tuesday to Democrat Adrian Fontes in the Maricopa County recorder’s race. The county was still tallying ballots but she was nearly 13,000 votes behind when she acknowledged the loss. Purcell, 81, was first elected in 1988 and never before challenged for re-election while serving seven four-year terms as county recorder. Her decision to cut the number of polling places for the March election caused voters to wait more than five hours to cast their ballots. Purcell and Secretary of State Michele Reagan were blamed for the foul-up, but Purcell became the most public face for the decision.
“I made bad decisions based on the information I had, obviously, or we wouldn’t have had long lines,” Purcell told The Associated Press days after the March election.
Her sudden fall in the public eye made her a target, and she barely survived the August primary election, beating back a Republican challenger by just 202 votes. She wasn’t so lucky in the general election.
Full Article: Phoenix election official dumped for long voter lines | Albuquerque Journal.