What caused the delays?
Lack of polling site readiness ensued when county election officials failed to provide a setup and coordination schedule to Insight technicians and county troubleshooters. The county also neglected to update its SiteBook software and test its wireless connections prior to the setup date.
Additionally, election officials didn’t show up at the polling sites at agreed-upon setup times. And the troubleshooters it hired at a discounted rate were not properly trained to do the job of troubleshooting.
By the numbers
| Task | Promised in contract | Delivered |
|---|---|---|
| Early voting | 4 technicians to support 40 locations | |
| Setup | 462 polling locations
|
93 technicians (10 in a standby role) to support 462 polling locations |
| Election day support | 502 polling locations with on-call support
|
60 technicians to support 502 polling locations |
| Polling place breakdown | 40 locations 6 technicians |
6 technicians to support 40 polling locations |
Timeline of election events
- Feb. 26, 2018
- Insight supports Arizona’s 8th Congressional District (CD-8) special election, with 14 technicians setting up voter validation devices at polling sites without incident.
- Feb. 27, 2018
- Insight provides 13 technicians for on-call support of CD-8 polling sites without incident.
- Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes expresses gratitude for Insight’s support of CD-8 election.
- April 23, 2018
- Insight allocates 15 technicians to set up 55 polling locations for CD-8 general election without incident.
- April 24, 2018
- Insight provides seven technicians for election day on-call support of CD-8 general election without incident.
- July 2018
- For the primary election, Insight’s first eight proposals to support Maricopa County call for 151 total technicians for polling location setup on Aug. 27 and 80 technicians for on-call support on election day (Aug. 28).
- County personnel state these numbers are excessive, preferring to keep services below $150,000 and supplementing technical support with up to 100 “troubleshooters” (county interns and high school students).
- Aug. 6, 2018
- Agreement is finalized, giving Insight just three weeks to engage a subcontractor for technicians; perform interviews, background checks and train technicians; and develop a project plan.
- Final agreement requires 83 technicians (plus 10 more on standby) for Aug. 27 polling location setup and 35 technicians (plus five more on standby) for election day on-call support.
- Aug. 6–24, 2018
- Insight requests coordinated polling place setup schedule from county; county never provides a plan.
- Insight creates setup schedule accepted by county; county never verifies that identified polling sites will be available at scheduled times.
- Aug. 13–24, 2018
- Insight provides four technicians to support 40 early ballot locations without incident.
- Aug. 27, 2018
- Insight provides 93 technicians (10 of these in a standby role) to set up county voter validation SiteBook devices at 462 polling locations.
- Insight technicians encounter unexpected delays due to lack of site access at many polling locations, failure by county to deliver equipment as scheduled, county SiteBook software needing updates and county network connectivity issues.
- Insight technicians are told to travel to county storage sites to replace damaged SiteBook devices, causing more delays.
- County employees review the list of remaining facilities with Insight’s on-site project management team. County officials determine Insight technicians can complete setup at remaining sites once they open at 5:30 a.m. on election day.
- Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018
- Insight dispatches 60 technicians for election support at 502 polling location sites to ensure additional support to the county due to Aug. 27 setup delays (SOW required only 35).
- Insight technicians note multiple errors by county poll workers and troubleshooters who incorrectly identify SiteBook errors, suggesting a lack of training on the equipment.
- Lack of effective communication from the county causes multiple Insight technicians to be dispatched for the same issues, and causes Insight to dispatch technicians to address issues that have already been resolved, wasting travel time and detracting resources from more pressing matters.
- Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018
- Insight provides six technicians to assist with polling place breakdown at 40 ballot locations, per the SOW.
Election coverage
- Maricopa County Supervisors Anxious, Fontes Hopeful For November Election – 22 October 2018, KJZZ
- Contractor, emails detail how Maricopa County messed up election day – 26 September 2018, AZ Central
- Facing shortage as November election approaches, Maricopa County scrambles to find poll workers – 2 October 2018 , AZ Central
- Maricopa County recorder: 'I will continue to accept responsibility' for election changes – 27 September 2018, AZ Central
- Dueling Reports Lay Blame for Arizona Primary Day Voting Problems – 25 September 2018, KJZZ (NPR)
- Audit: election mishaps due to faulty equipment, no backup plan – 21 September 2018, Arizona Capitol Times
- Despite primary issues, Fontes touts positives of Maricopa County voting – 20 September 2018, KTAR News
- Adrian Fontes is ruining his career - and our confidence in the midterm election – 13 September 2018, AZ Central
- Maricopa County to rely ‘completely on county employees’ for Nov. 6 election – 12 September 2018, Cronkite News (Arizona PBS)
- County elections boss says woes possible in November – 12 September 2018, Associated Press
- Maricopa County Recorder Says He Won't Release Report On Primary Day Problems – 7 September 2018, KJZZ (NPR)
- County approves funding for audit on Arizona election issues – 5 September 2018, Associated Press
- Maricopa County supervisors grill Adrian Fontes over election day snags – 5 September 2018, AZ Central
- Arizona Voting Problems Erode Public Trust – 30 August, 2018, NPR ‘The Takeaway’ WNYC
- Who’s to Blame for Voting Problems in Arizona’s Primaries? – 29 August 2018, Slate Magazine
- After Primary Election Fiasco, GOP Attacks County Election Chief Adrian Fontes – 29 August 2018, Phoenix New Times
- Election officials, Tempe company swap blame for polling site problems – 29 August 2018, AZ Central
- Arizona primary election: Voters report Valley polling place issues – 28 August 2018, ABC 15
- Arizona's largest county to petition to keep polls open later amid Election Day snafu – 28 August 2018, CNN
- Arizona election officials report problems with voting machines – 28 August 2018, FOX News
Speak with our media team.
Insight’s media relations team can facilitate media requests to provide further clarity of Insight’s role in the 2018 Maricopa County primary election.