Pen misinformation bleeds into Arizona primary

By ALI SWENSON
Associated Press

Arizona’s largest county is facing a repeat of #SharpieGate, the social media uproar that erupted after the 2020 election based on the false claim that Sharpie pens provided at the polls would ruin ballots. For Tuesday’s primary election, Maricopa County will give Election Day voters Pentel brand felt-tip pens because the pens have quick-drying ink that won’t smudge the ballots or produce wet splotches that jam up onsite tabulators. That can require the machines to be cleaned, causing long lines at the polls. Still, some social media users and prominent Republicans in the state this week encouraged voters to defy that guidance and bring their own ballpoint pens to the polls.