Can Maricopa County change — or completely dump — third-party election vendors?

Can Maricopa County change — or completely dump — third-party election vendors?

It’s a question being asked after Runbeck Election Services sent 3,126 mail ballots to the U.S. Postal Service six days before the start of early voting.

Supervisor Thomas Galvin told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show that a change could be made at some point down the road.

“When these contracts come up for bid and the Recorder’s Office, as I understand it, indicates who they prefer to work with, that process happens. But that process will happen after an election,” Galvin said.

He said Runbeck is one of the few companies that can provide the services needed in the nation’s second-largest voting jurisdiction. The Phoenix-based vendor provides election services in 34 states and the District of Columbia. It prints and processes ballots on specialized high-speed equipment.

Galvin didn’t say whether he thinks Runbeck should be replaced after its recent gaffe. While the company sent out the ballots prematurely, officials said they were addressed to the right voters and remain valid.

“No one says it’s a great thing. No one’s defending it. The vendor, as I hear, apologized to the Recorder’s Office. But we move on,” he said.

Why does Maricopa County need a vendor for mail ballots?

While some people believe that election administrators should keep everything in-house, Galvin said that probably is not feasible in Maricopa County, even after its new election center opens.

He likened an election to a major event like a Super Bowl where a large number of workers are needed for a limited period of time.

“I would anticipate we would still need a third-party vendor to help coordinate the logistics of something like that. We can’t just have a bunch of full-time employees sitting around 11 months out of the year,” he said.

Galvin said the new election center should be ready for action in time for the 2028 presidential election.

“Maricopa County has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few decades. The current building we have, which is our current tabulation and election center, it’s just too small,” he said.

The new, larger facility will speed up vote counting and have space for more workers, Galvin said.

“Even right now, we do need workers for this election. I’m encouraging people to go to get involved at Maricopa.vote to sign up to be a worker in this election,” he said. “But in 2028, it’s going to enable us to have even more workers for that election once the building is open.”

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