Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Clint Hickman (Dist. 4) and Steve Gallardo (Dist. 5) issued the following letter to voters on Wednesday:

Dear Maricopa County voters,

As members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, we are concerned about the misinformation spreading about the integrity of our elections.

First, vote counting is not a Republican or Democrat issue; everyone should want all the votes to be counted, whether they were mailed or cast in person. An accurate vote takes time. It’s possible the results you see now may change after all the votes are counted. This is evidence of democracy, not fraud.

Second, Sharpie pens do not invalidate ballots. We did extensive testing on multiple different types of ink with our new vote tabulation equipment. Sharpies are recommended by the manufacturer because they provide the fastest-drying ink.

The offset columns on ballots ensure that any bleed-through will not impact your vote. For this reason, Sharpies were provided to in-person voters on Election Day. People who voted by mail could use Sharpies, or blue or black pens. Our Elections Department has been communicating this publicly for weeks.

Maricopa County has bipartisan oversight of elections in 2020 with the Board of Supervisors and the Recorder’s Office each playing an important role. We would like to thank the hundreds of volunteers, poll workers and staff for being a part of an incredible elections team.

All of us are committed to a fair and efficient count of all votes.

Thank you.