YESTERDAY AND THE DAY BEFORE.
JOE BIDEN HOLDS A SLIM LEAD OVER
DONALD TRUMP, CONTINUES THERE.
GADI SCHWARTZ IN MARICOPA COUNTY
JOINS US FROM THE PHOENIX METRO
AREA.
GADI, BIG NIGHT DOWNTOWN WITH
PROTEST, MANY HAVE SAID ABOUT
THE VOTE COUNTS CONTINUING AFTER
ELECTION NIGHT.
SEEING MORE OF THAT TODAY?
>> SO FAR WE HAVEN’T.
WE SAW A SMALL CROWD EARLIER.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY MAY BE
COMING BACK TONIGHT.
RIGHT NOW IN THIS ROOM THERE’S A
LOT OF HUSTLE AND BUSTLE.
THEY ARE WORKING ON GETTING
275,000 BALLOTS HERE COUNTED AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
I WANT TO SHOW YOU THESE TWO
MACHINES RIGHT HERE, THOSE ARE
THE TABULATORS.
THEY WORK VERY, VERY QUICKLY.
THEY ARE FINELY TUNED PIECE OF
ELECTION MACHINERY.
THINGS GO WRONG.
BEFORE WE GET INTO WHAT I’M
ABOUT TO GET INTO, JUST KNOW
THIS IS A CONSPIRACY THEORY WE
ARE ADDRESSING BECAUSE IT’S
CIRCULATING A LOT ONLINE AND WE
WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE HAVE
ALL THE INFORMATION.
I’M GOING TO SAY A BAD WORD IN
THIS ELECTION FACILITY IT IS A
SHARPIE.
PEOPLE AROUND HERE DO NOT LIKE
IT WHEN YOU SAY SHARPIE ANYMORE
BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS THING
CALLED SHARPIE-GATE GOING
AROUND.
I’M GOING TO SHOW YOU WHAT IT’S
ABOUT.
THE CONSPIRACY IS LIKE THIS.
SOMEBODY WALKS IN, THE POLL
WORKER HANDS THEM A SHARPIE.
THEY SAY ONLINE THAT TRUMP
SUPPORTERS WERE GIVEN A SHARPIE.
WHEN THEY WOULD FILL IN FOR
TRUMP, THAT BALLOT WOULD BE
INVALIDATED BECAUSE SOMEHOW THE
SHARPIE BLED THROUGH.
THAT’S A CONSPIRACY.
I’M GOING TO SHOW YOU WHY THAT
IS NOT THE CASE AND WHY IT HAS
BECOME VERY FRUSTRATING FOR ALL
THE DIFFERENT POLL WORKERS HERE
THAT HAVE BEEN HEARING THIS OVER
AND OVER AGAIN.
SHARPIES ARE USED IN THIS
ELECTION.
IN FACT THEY WORK SOMETIMES
BETTER THAN PENS.
THIS IS YOUR NORMAL BALLPOINT
PEN.
IT’S BRAND-NEW.
YOU KNOW HOW SOMETIMES WHEN YOU
FILL IN ANYTHING -- YOU’RE
WRITING OR SOMETHING.
YOU’VE GOT A BRAND-NEW PEN.
IT’S GOT A LOT OF INK.
SEE HOW THAT INK SPREADS?
THIS IS A BALLPOINT PEN.
HERE IS A SHARPIE.
THE SHARPIE DRIES FASTER.
YOU SEE IT DRYING THERE.
THERE’S NO SMEAR.
I KNOW THIS IS A SIMPLE THING.
CHECK THIS OUT.
THIS IS A DOUBLE SIDED BALLOT.
SORRY ABOUT MY POOR PENMANSHIP
HERE.
THESE ARE OFFSET.
THE BALLOTS YOU’RE SEEING
COUNTED INSIDE, THEY ARE OFFSET.
IT’S VERY CLEAR WHERE SOMEBODY
VOTED EVEN WHEN IT DOES PLEAD
THROUGH.
THIS IS HOW SHARPIE-GATE WORKS.
THIS IS WHY THE SHARPIES ARE
BEING USED.
THEY ARE SAFE FOR THIS ELECTION.
IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE WHY PEOPLE
MIGHT BE CONFUSED BECAUSE SOME
OF THOSE BALLOTS ARE DIFFERENT
FROM COUNTY TO COUNTY, STATE TO
STATE, ALL ACROSS THE UNITED
STATES BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE A
UNIFORM SYSTEM OF VOTING.
SO IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE WHY
PEOPLE COULD BE CONFUSED.
HERE IN MARICOPA COUNTY
OFFICIALS WE SPOKE TO SAID AGAIN
ANAGEN IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT
KIND OF PEN YOU USE, WHAT KIND
OF MARKER YOU USE, YOUR VOTES
ARE GOING TO BE COUNTED.
THEY DO SAY, HOWEVER, THEY DON’T
WANT PEOPLE VOTING IN A RED PEN
BECAUSE IT MESSES WITH THE
OPTICS.
WHEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE
OPTICS, YOU KNOW THAT SMUDGE
THERE, WHAT HAPPENS, AS THEY ARE
LOADING IT IN, NOT ONLY CAN THAT
SMUDGE OF INK GET ON OTHER
BALLOTS UNDERNEATH AND MESS WITH
OPTICS, IT CAN GET ON THE GLASS
EITHER SELF, WHICH MEANS
EVERYTHING STOPS.
THEY HAVE TO COME IN SOMETIMES
AND REPLACE THAT, WHICH PUTS A
HUGE STRAIN ON THIS ASSEMBLY
LINE THAT WE’RE SEEING.
SO AGAIN, THAT’S WHY THEY ARE
SAYING SHARPIES ARE OKAY TO USE
IN ARIZONA.
THEY ARE JUST HOPING PEOPLE WILL