A power outage temporarily shut down a voting center in Maricopa County, Arizona, on Friday, October 30, forcing election officials to direct voters to nearby locations during the final day of early voting ahead of the November 3 midterm election.

The affected location was the Mesa Community College Red Mountain Vote Center at 7110 East McKellips Road in Mesa. The Maricopa County Recorder's Office announced that the facility had experienced an unexpected power outage and would remain closed while officials addressed the problem. Voters were directed to two alternative locations: the ASU Polytechnic Academic Center in Mesa and the Gilbert Public Works North Area Service Center.

The Recorder's Office later announced that the Red Mountain location had reopened, approximately 55 minutes after the initial closure notice. The center remained scheduled to close at its regular 7 p.m. time.

The outage became the subject of additional scrutiny after reports circulated that the facility had also been evacuated following a fire alarm. A voter reportedly told local journalist Rachel Alexander that the polling location had been evacuated before its electricity went out. The circumstances surrounding the reported alarm have not been independently confirmed by election officials or local authorities.

Craig Berland, chairman of the Maricopa County Republican Committee, subsequently raised concerns about the incident in an interview with Arizona Insiders. Berland said he believed the alarm may have been intentionally pulled and suggested the power disruption could have been deliberate. He called for further investigation, including possible involvement by the Department of Justice. However, no evidence has been publicly presented establishing that the incident was sabotage.

The county's official notices attributed the temporary closure to a power outage and confirmed that the voting center reopened later that afternoon. Authorities had not publicly identified the cause of the electrical problem or confirmed whether the reported fire alarm was connected to it.

Maricopa County is a major election jurisdiction in Arizona, and its administration of in-person voting has drawn national attention in recent election cycles. For the November 3 general election, the county has announced plans to operate 254 vote centers, allowing registered voters to cast ballots at participating locations rather than being restricted to a single assigned polling place.

The county's early-voting operations concluded October 30, with Election Day voting scheduled to begin Tuesday, November 3. The temporary closure therefore occurred during the final hours of the early-voting period, although the affected center reopened before the end of the day.

The incident has raised questions about the circumstances behind the disruption, but officials have not confirmed claims of intentional interference. No reliable public accounting of how many voters were delayed or redirected was available.

Maricopa County voters can check current voting locations, operating hours, and wait times through the county's official election website. Election officials have also encouraged voters to verify that their chosen location is operating before heading out to cast a ballot.