Arizona Election Worker Arrested for Allegedly Stealing Security Device From Ballot Center

An election worker in Arizona was arrested for allegedly stealing a security device from a Maricopa County election center in Phoenix, officials said on June 25.

“We are going to make sure that we do evaluate all the evidence that is out there,” he said, “and that we follow up” on “other actors that may be involved in this.” However, he stressed that there is no evidence suggesting another person was involved.

Mr. Skinner said authorities were reviewing the individual’s social media feeds and phone to determine whether he was working with anyone when he took the small black fob that allows access to the tabulators used in the county.

He said that the impact of the theft is around $20,000, adding that the digital magnetic key can be used to “log into the tabulation” devices.

Security camera footage showed an individual taking the missing item at around 5 p.m. local time on June 20, according to screenshots released by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

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Court records posted online show that Walter Ringfield was arrested for allegedly stealing digital security keys from the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, in a June 24 statement, said that the arrest shows that “the security protocols built into Arizona’s election systems” are effective.

“The swift actions of the Maricopa County elections staff, including the re-conducting of logic and accuracy tests, builds in extra layers of protection of all affected equipment,” said Mr. Fontes, a Democrat. “This quick response will prevent any potential impact on the upcoming elections. The Secretary of State’s office will collaborate with law enforcement to address and investigate this incident to ensure accountability and swift justice.”

Maricopa County elections officials also released a statement, describing the suspect as a “temporary election worker.” Last week, it added, “Maricopa County elections workers identified that an item was taken from the Ballot Tabulation Center on Thursday evening” and that staff took action to investigate the incident.

“The stolen item has been recovered but to ensure the integrity of Maricopa County Elections, election workers are reprogramming and re-conducting logic and accuracy testing of all equipment,” the statement said.

Mr. Ringfield allegedly told the sheriff’s department that he took the fob because he was trying to help clean up. He also said he had hoped to get a permanent position in the elections office, according to a statement issued by the sheriff’s office. The public defender’s office said a lawyer had not yet been assigned to represent Mr. Ringfield.

In Tuesday’s news conference, Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates, a Republican, said that officials re-programmed the tabulators to make sure the digital security key cannot access them in the future.

“The suspect was arrested the day we determined it was missing,” Mr. Gates, a Republican, said in the news conference. “This incident has shown all of the protocols that are in place. We have cameras. We have observers.”

The Republican National Committee in a statement that it had dispatched staff to Maricopa in response to the incident.

Over the years, Maricopa County has been the center of claims about voting irregularities, including during the 2020 and 2022 elections.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.