Arizona authorities are investigating whether a 27-year-old temporary election worker in Maricopa County had political motives when he stole a fob granting access to vote tabulators before the July 30 primary.
“This is not your average theft,” Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner said, noting the suspect’s beliefs are under review. Authorities are examining Walter Ringfield’s social media and phone to determine if he acted alone in taking the fob, which enables access to the county’s vote tabulators.
Surveillance footage showed Ringfield taking the fob from a desk on Thursday. He was arrested at his Phoenix home the next day after election workers discovered the fob was missing. Ringfield claimed he took it to help clean up and hoped to secure a permanent position.
Election officials reprogrammed the tabulators and conducted a new test with bipartisan observers to ensure security. Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates emphasized the incident’s swift resolution demonstrated the effectiveness of their protocols.
The Republican National Committee responded, expressing concerns about election security in Arizona and committing to work with county officials to address the issue.
“The suspect was arrested the day we determined it was missing,” Gates said. “I certainly hope people don’t take this incident to spin up further conspiracy theories.”
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