Arizona Election Worker Arrested After Allegedly Stealing Digital Key for Vote-Counting Machines

An predetermination idiosyncratic successful Maricopa County, Arizona has been arrested for allegedly stealing a integer magnetic cardinal that tin beryllium utilized for accessing the county’s vote-counting machines. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) held a property league Tuesday that was airy connected details but stressed to the nationalist that they’re prepared for immoderate mightiness hap arsenic the 2024 statesmanlike predetermination looms.

Walter Ringfield Jr., a 27-year-old from Phoenix, was moving a impermanent occupation astatine the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC) erstwhile idiosyncratic noticed connected June 20 that a reddish lanyard containing keys and a integer fob for voting instrumentality had gone missing. After reviewing surveillance footage Ringfield was identified arsenic the idiosyncratic who picked up the keys astir 5 p.m. section clip that day, according to a property merchandise from MCSO.

Screenshots from the surveillance footage were provided by MCSO to Gizmodo, appearing to amusement Ringfield grabbing the keys.

Screenshot of information camera footage provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office appearing to amusement Ringfield taking keys that allegedly unlock vote-counting machines
Image: Maricopa County Seriff’s Office

“When confronted by his employer, Ringfield denied the theft, but past suggested the lanyard mightiness beryllium successful his car ‘if’ helium had mistakenly taken it,” MCSO explained successful a property release. “A consequent hunt of his conveyance revealed a reddish lanyard and a matching integrative tag, but the fob remained missing.”

Ringfield was arrested the pursuing time astatine his home, wherever the arresting officers “observed a reddish integrative point accordant with the missing lanyard wrong his vehicle.” MCSO alleges Ringfield admitted astatine that constituent to taking the fob.

The interest implicit the fob, oregon the “digital magnetic key” arsenic it was aboriginal described, is that it has the imaginable to let idiosyncratic to change ballot tallies. Former president Donald Trump has made baseless claims that helium really won the predetermination successful 2020, claims that person been litigated repeatedly successful courts crossed the country, wherever nary predetermination fraud has been found.

County officials held up a integer cardinal during the property league arsenic an illustration of what was allegedly stolen. After discovering 1 was missing, predetermination officials instantly reprogrammed each of the system’s keys.

“From my understanding, the stolen integer magnetic cardinal is thing that has the imaginable to really log into the tabulation machines astatine MCTEC. So you tin recognize the interest and the accusation that mightiness have,” Sheriff Russ Skinner said during a property league that was livestreamed connected Facebook Tuesday.

Whatever happens with Ringfield, officials successful Maricopa County intelligibly privation to springiness the content that they’re connected apical of predetermination information successful the pb up to November’s election. And that makes sense, fixed each the lies Trump and his goons are spreading close now.

“Let maine marque this clear, MCSO and our concern volition basal vigilant and instrumentality the indispensable actions to guarantee our community, our staff, and our facilities stay harmless and unafraid passim the predetermination cycle,” Skinner said.