Maricopa County says Runbeck Election Services mailed 3,126 early ballots nearly a week ahead of schedule, triggering an immediate fight over whether the shipment was a timing mistake or something more serious.
The county Recorder’s Office said the vendor sent the ballots six days before the planned October 7 mailing date. The office said it did not authorize the shipment and learned about it only after Runbeck reported what had happened.
County officials say the ballot assigned to each voter was correct. In their account, the only issue was when the envelopes were sent. The county says all 3,126 ballots remain valid and that no voters were adversely affected.
That explanation did not satisfy President Donald Trump. Speaking Monday, Trump called the situation “crooked” and rejected the county’s use of the word “error.” He said, “There were no errors. You know that, right? There were no errors.” He also claimed the ballots had been sent illegally and said officials “got caught.”
Trump’s comments directly challenged the county’s formal account, which treats the incident as an unauthorized early mailing rather than a problem with the ballots themselves.
The county made Runbeck’s statement public
The Recorder’s Office said Runbeck issued a statement to the media but declined the county’s request to publish it publicly. The office posted the vendor’s statement itself, saying voters should be able to see the information.
That put two separate questions at the center of the dispute. Maricopa County says the ballots went to the intended voters and remain usable. Critics are focused on why a vendor sent them before the county had approved the mailing.
Today, Runbeck Election Services (RES) issued the following statement to the media.
We requested that in the interest of transparency they also post the statement publicly; however, they refused.
The MCRO believes this is the wrong call, so we are posting it publicly for them. pic.twitter.com/CslKTPzotr
— Maricopa County Recorder's Office (@RecordersOffice) October 4, 2026
The announcement revived older Runbeck disputes
The report also connects the latest incident to earlier controversies involving Runbeck. It points to a 2022 episode in which more than 60,000 ballots containing incorrect races were reportedly sent before an August primary.
The article also recounts allegations from attorneys for Kari Lake, the former Trump-endorsed Arizona gubernatorial candidate. They accused Runbeck of major problems in 2022 chain-of-custody records and questioned how tens of thousands of ballots appeared in the election process.
The report further cites 2024 allegations involving election security, including claims that blank ballots and voted ballots were mixed together. Those earlier disputes are separate from the county’s current statement, which says the latest problem involved timing only.
Lake adds to the backlash
Kari Lake also criticized the county’s explanation and called for honest elections in Arizona. Her response added to the pressure already coming from Trump, while Maricopa County continued to maintain that the ballots were correct and valid.
Aren’t the good people of Arizona entitled to honest elections?? This is ridiculous! https://t.co/hhwxzAUJkm
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) October 5, 2026
For now, Maricopa County describes the episode as an unauthorized early mailing with no adverse effect on voters. Trump and Lake see the same disclosure as evidence of a deeper election problem.
