Jessica Boehm | The Republic | azcentral.com

Will Flannigan, azcentral

Patrick Breen/The Republic

Almost 2,000 independent voters nearly did not receive early ballots — and more than 750 are still at risk of not getting an early ballot — because of a computer glitch on the Maricopa County Recorder's Office website.

Independent voters in Arizona can participate in the state's primary election, but must select which party ballot they'd like: Republican, Democrat or Green. Voters can also elect to receive a city/town-only ballot, which has nonpartisan issues or races from the voter's city.

Glitch discovered

The county recorder's office mails independent voters on the Permanent Early Voting List a postcard asking them to submit their ballot choice online. But voters who did this prior to July 13 must re-select their choice because of a computer error.

In a statement, Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes said his office realized during a security update that the system was reporting which independent voters were requesting early ballots, but not what type of ballot they were selecting.

Must act by Aug. 17 to get early ballot

Impacted voters should have received a snail mail and email notification asking them to resubmit their ballot choice. If they do not do so before Aug. 17, they will likely not receive an early ballot.

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"The (Maricopa County Recorder's Office) recognizes that this extra step is frustrating and unacceptable. We offer our apologies and thank the community for working in partnership with us to ensure independent voters get the access to the ballot they are entitled to," Fontes said.

Recorder's Office spokeswoman Murphy Hebert said the office has heard back from 1,154 of the 1,922 independent voters who were impacted and the staff is continuing to reach out to the others. She said the office is also seeking legal advice about any other options for mailing ballots.

To confirm your ballot choice was recorded, visit maricopa.vote or call 602-506-1511.