The most populous county in Arizona appears incapable of facilitating a federal election without running into problems.
The Maricopa County Recorder's Office, headed by Republican Justin Heap, revealed on Sunday that thousands of early ballots were mailed out prematurely owing to an alleged vendor error.
'Maricopa is a very, very dishonest county.'
Heap's office noted that it was informed on Friday by the vendor, Runbeck Election Services, "that it had mistakenly mailed 3,126 early ballots the previous day, six days before the scheduled October 7 mailing date. The premature mailing was not authorized by the Recorder's Office, which was notified only after it occurred."
RES claimed in a statement shared by the recorder's office that the vote-by-mail envelope mailers were sent to the U.S. Postal Service Business Mail Entry Unit by its logistics team last Thursday. They weren't supposed to be delivered until this Wednesday.
"These 3,126 packets were processed separately from the primary mailing because they did not qualify for USPS automated mail processing," said RES. "Non-automation mail requires separate handling and processing before being presented to the USPS."
RELATED: Here we go again: Ex-USPS worker charged for allegedly tossing hundreds of mail-in ballots in the trash
RES claimed that the vote-by-mail envelope mailers "had been completed and were being staged at our facility for their scheduled presentation," but the pallet holding them "was included with mail released that evening."
"The affected packets were part of the first voter request file provided to RES for processing," continued the vendor. "They are valid packets, produced from the authorized voter data provided to RES, and are addressed to voters who requested them."
Jeff Ellington, the CEO of RES, emphasized that the county was not to blame, stating in an interview, "It was pure accident, just a human error," reported the Associated Press.
"We regret it. But it was by no means intentional," added Ellington.
Arizona Rep. Abraham Hamadeh (R) noted that "this isn't their first 'mistake.' One error is incompetence. A pattern is a system."
Hamadeh's distrust is well-earned.
After all, according to the White House, Maricopa County experienced a significant election data breach just days ahead of the 2020 general election. The federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency subsequently characterized that election as "the most secure in American history."
During the 2022 election, the county had widespread ballot printing and reading issues at voting centers. In the 2024 election, the county not only had mailing and processing problems but saw thousands of registered voters incorrectly flagged as needing to provide proof of citizenship.
A recent investigation found that numerous noncitizens were erroneously registered to vote.
President Donald Trump blasted Maricopa County on Monday over its latest election-related "error," calling the county "crooked" and suggesting that local officials "should be ashamed of themselves."
"Maricopa sent out thousands of ballots illegally, and they got caught," the president told reporters. "Now they're saying it was an error. Maricopa is a very, very dishonest county."
The Maricopa County Recorder's Office noted that "upon consultation with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, it was determined that the ballots remain valid and do not need to be voided or reissued. Voters may complete and return them normally. Any ballots received before early voting begins will remain unopened and securely stored until processing begins."
The Maricopa County Elections Department did not immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Continue reading...
[H/T Blaze Media]
