HERE WE GO: Missing Ballots and Ballots Received Before Mailing Date Reported in Arizona

HERE WE GO: Missing Ballots and Ballots Received Before Mailing Date Reported in Arizona

Missing Ballots and Approaching Deadlines in Arizona…Another Runbeck Ballot Hit on Voters?

SERIOUSLY? You requested a ballot and it still has not arrived – you deserve more than another argument between public officials. You deserve a usable ballot, clear instructions, an explanation of what the heck happened, and NOW!

With the November 3 election fast approaching, reports of delayed or missing ballots in Maricopa and Pima Counties, Arizona, require prompt answers. The immediate task is getting affected voters a way to vote. The accountability task is following the records from the ballot printer to the voter’s mailbox, to find out who was behind this.

TWO SEPARATE PROBLEMS

First: Improper Ballot Mailing – Maricopa County Voters got ballots before mailing date.

The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office said Runbeck Election Services acknowledged their error in mailing 3,126 ballots on October 1, six days before the scheduled October 7 mailing. The office said the correct ballots went to the correct voters, remained valid, and did not need replacement. Runbeck accepted responsibility (Read the October 4 statement).

Second: Reported non-receipt of ballots in at least two counties (Maricopa & Pima)

The ballot non-delivery complaints are a different issue. In an October 14 statement, the Maricopa Recorder’s Office said approximately 1.9 million early ballots had been delivered to USPS on October 7 and acknowledged that some voters were still waiting. That statement does not identify what happened to each outstanding ballot. Read the delivery update. Pima County Republican voters are reporting similar problems, but there has been no official word from the Pima County Recorder.

Coincidentally, Runbeck services Pima County ballots, too. While the Maricopa early release was a Runbeck mistake, it does not, by itself, establish that Runbeck caused the later non-delivery problems. Responsibility for those cases requires records showing what was produced, accepted by USPS, and subsequently processed.

REPUBLICAN COMPLAINTS DESERVE A DOCUMENTED RESPONSE

On October 18, Arizona Republican Party Chairman Sergio Arellano acknowledged the reports of ballot non-delivery and delays, encouraged affected voters to document their experiences, and directed them to reporting channels. The party also reminded voters that a missing requested mail ballot does not prevent in-person voting. Read the AZGOP statement.

The Western Journal reported that Tyler Bowyer (TPUSA) alleged substantial complaints among Republicans in conservative Pima County precincts, including a reported rate above 10 percent in some precincts. That figure is an attributed allegation, not an independently verified measure of countywide delivery failures. Read the report and embedded posts.

On October 21, in a telephone call to Pima County Republican Party Chair Kathleen Winn, she told me that 60 families so far had reported to her not receiving their early ballots. According to Winn, those families reported no changes in their addresses, names, party affiliations, or usual voting practices.  Many of these families are being assisted by Chairman Winn to connect with the Democratic County Recorder for another Early Ballot before the deadline of this Friday, October 23, by 5:00 P.M.

On Garrett Lewis’s KFYI program Wednesday afternoon, Party Chair Winn reported that she had personally helped 32 households (out of roughly 60 families who had reported the problem) request replacement early ballots after select family members in those households did not receive theirs.

No reports yet from other Counties where Runbeck provides election services. If a geographic pattern exists, it should be measured. County officials should examine complaints and replacement requests by precinct, ZIP code, and postal route where available. Evaluating a partisan disparity also requires comparison with other voters, not just a count of Republican complaints; and personal voter information should remain protected.

 WHAT LOCAL VOICES ARE SAYING RIGHT NOW

In Maricopa County, two people who have been closely watching the ballot-delivery problems are offering useful information.

Merissa Caldwell, Chairwoman of EZAZ, publicly challenged the phone number and instructions Supervisor Debbie Lesko posted for voters still waiting for ballots. Caldwell is emphasizing early in-person voting as the fastest way to avoid waiting for another mailed packet. She also directs voters to the STAR Center number, 602-506-1511, which matches the Recorder’s published assistance number.

Caldwell also identifies [email protected] as an email option. Voters should confirm the current replacement-request requirements directly with the county before transmitting identifying information. The official online request and location tools also appear below.

State Representative John Gillette of LD 30 is focusing on accountability. He has pointed to the county’s Runbeck contract and called for geographic analysis of complaints by ZIP code and postal route, as well as examination of relevant USPS carrier or driver footage, if such footage exists. Those requests should establish who holds the records and what they show.

Both are putting the emphasis on where it belongs: Get Voters a Working Ballot Now; and demand the primary records that will show exactly where the delivery chain broke down.

 RUNBECK’S ROLE ACROSS ARIZONA

 Runbeck Election Services’ work extends beyond Maricopa County. Pima County’s February 17, 2026 board agenda listed a $5 million Runbeck contract (SC2600000005) that requires the company to produce, assemble, and mail or deliver official ballots, including early voting ballots. This documents a role extending beyond printing to ballot assembly and postal delivery.

Mohave County is using Runbeck’s Ballot Guard paper for its 2026 elections. Yuma County authorized a five-year agreement covering ballot printing and mailing, subject to legal review. Yavapai County’s election FAQ states that Runbeck prints, assembles, and mails ballot packages for all county elections.

A complete statewide list of ballot-printing and mailing vendors has not yet been assembled for this investigation. Comparing delivery complaints across counties — and identifying which services each vendor performs — could help determine whether problems cluster around particular production batches, postal routes, or other shared steps. Reports from both Maricopa and Pima make that comparison worth pursuing. The contracts establish Runbeck’s responsibilities; mailing and tracking records are needed to determine where the reported delivery failures occurred.

FOLLOW THE CONTRACT AND THE HANDOFF

Maricopa County’s published contract expiration report lists Runbeck Election Services LLC under MA, D730,260046 for printing and mailing election materials, with an expiration date of January 4, 2027. The contract itself, amendments, and work orders should identify who approves the work, monitors performance, and handles failures. The listing alone does not resolve every division of responsibility between county offices. See the county report, page 9.

On October 19, I submitted a public-records request to Maricopa County seeking the Runbeck agreement and related records. The county acknowledged receipt as Request 26-177, which is listed as open. The acknowledgment does not yet answer the questions about contractual duties or the ballot-mailing problems.

Runbeck and the county offices responsible should answer these questions:

• How many ballot packets were ordered, produced, rejected, reprinted, held, and accepted by USPS? Do those totals reconcile?
• When and where did USPS accept each mailing batch, and what acceptance records document the transfer?
• Were any packets held back, damaged, or delayed before the handoff? How many, and why?
• What tracking scans and exception reports exist for the affected batches? What does each scan actually establish?
• When did each organization learn of the delivery complaints, and what corrective action followed?

A production date is not proof of postal acceptance. A missing barcode scan, standing alone, is not proof a ballot was never mailed. The records need to be reconciled, with each organization accounting for the part of the process it handled. Relevant production files, postal manifests, tracking histories, incident reports, and communications should be preserved now. Any existing footage relevant to an identified handoff or incident should also be preserved before routine retention periods expire. A request for footage should establish whether it exists and who holds it.

 IF YOUR BALLOT HAS NOT ARRIVED – WHAT YOU CAN DO!

Friday, October 23, is the deadline to request a ballot by mail. If your requested ballot has not arrived, contact your County Recorder now about replacement options. Missing this mail-request deadline does not eliminate your opportunity to vote in person. But do not wait for the accountability dispute to be settled before protecting your opportunity to vote.

Maricopa County voters: Call 602-506-1511 for assistance. Check your ballot status at BeBallotReady.Vote. For replacement options, use Request.Maricopa.Vote or speak directly with the office. To vote early in person, check the current locations and hours at Locations.Maricopa.Vote and bring the required identification. October 27 is the recommended last day to mail a completed ballot back. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on November 3; a postmark does not meet that deadline. Check the county’s election reminders.

Pima County voters: Contact the Recorder’s Office at 520-724-4330. Use its official ballot status page and ballot FAQs for county-specific assistance. October 27 is the recommended last day to mail a completed ballot back. Election Calendar.

Keep a record of your request, status messages, calls, and any response. Provide identifying information only through the appropriate official channel, not in a public social-media complaint. Follow election officials’ instructions if the original ballot arrives after you obtain a replacement or vote in person. Cast Only One Ballot.

ANSWERS WHILE THEY CAN STILL HELP

I want an explanation that can be checked against the official records. If the failure occurred at the printer, show it. If it occurred after postal acceptance, trace it. If the evidence reveals a broader problem, address it while voters still have time to act.

No voter should have to become an investigator just to receive a ballot.

Those entrusted with the process owe us clear answers and timely help.

Voters still waiting must act now.  Our Voices Matter Too Much to Leave Them Waiting in the Mailbox!

by Linda Brickman

©2026 Linda Brickman All Rights Reserved.