PHX Reporter

Editor's note: This story has been updated to show Jolene Rode's ballot was eventually recorded.

A Maricopa couple noticed their ballots were canceled after they visited the county’s website, but the county's voting records now show their ballots as accepted.

Joe Rode and Jolene Rode both received mail-in ballots but surrendered those ballots when they went to vote in-person, after making errors on the original mail-in ballots.

“Joe filled his new form with a pen after checking in and being provided a new ballot,” Jolene Rode said in an email.

Jolene Rode said her husband gave the poll worker his new ballot and it was put in a box.

“His first ballot is showing two entries on Maricopa website,” Jolene Rode said. “The first shows Canceled, his second ballot is showing Accepted.”

Jolene went to the same polling location several days later and was given a Sharpie to fill out her new ballot.

“They handed me a Sharpie, I told the poll worker I had a mail ballot that I had made an error,” Jolene Rode said. “I scanned my ID, took pictures of my original ballot, surrendered it and they called my name presenting a new clean ballot. I filled out the new ballot with the Sharpie provided, when I scanned it showed Accepted.”

Jolene Rode said she confirmed it with the poll worker, but when she checked the county’s website, it says her ballot was canceled.

“I know the website says if you had a mail ballot and voted in-person it will say canceled,” Jolene Rode said. “However, Joe's voter ID shows one entry canceled and one accepted. The only difference between our ballots is that he got a new ballot on Thursday, used a pen and dropped it in the box. On Tuesday I got a new ballot, used the Sharpie, and scanned it to receive affirmation my ballot was accepted....”

The website was finally updated to show Jolene Rode's ballot as in-person and accepted.

"Miraculously my ballot showed up on Monday night as voting in person and accepted." Jolene said. "I do not know why it took so long for my voter ID to register when I voted in person."

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said last week that citizens were concerned about the Sharpie issue, but that the Sharpies would not disenfranchise voters. 

However, the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee have alleged that ballots marked with Sharpies were not being counted in Maricopa County and filed a lawsuit. County officials have denied those allegations. 

Voters have been urged to check the status of their ballots of the Secretary of State’s website and to report any irregularities to a 24-hour tip line (615-747-1500).