New alarming details have surfaced regarding the theft of a key fob at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center (MCTEC). This incident has raised concerns among some that Arizona election officials may be planning another election fraud, beginning with the upcoming primary.
As previously reported, on Thursday morning, a temporary election worker, Walter Ringfield Jr., allegedly stole a security fob and keys from MCTEC.
The man was previously charged with stealing $1,000 from a grocery store. The prosecution suspended the case after the suspect entered a diversion program, suggesting a possible plea deal. It remains unclear how he passed the background check required to work in the election department.
Election workers are currently reprogramming the tabulators and conducting new Logic and Accuracy Testing. This process has stirred controversy, especially after the 2022 election, when tabulators were allegedly programmed to fail intentionally on election day.
As reported by AZ Central:
Walter Ringfield, a 27-year-old Phoenix resident who isn’t currently registered as a member of a political party in Arizona, took the fob on the evening of June 20 from the facility, officials said. In a statement, officials said the fob was recovered and they will reprogram and retest election equipment to “ensure the integrity” of the upcoming state primary.
“The security fobs are used in conjunction with special secure tablets during the election,” Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office detectives said in court documents. “A director at the facility stated that the estimated cost of the reprogramming would be greater than $19,000 dollars, and the secure operation of the facility is greatly impeded until the reprogramming is complete.”
Election officials said on June 24 that Ringfield was hired on June 3 as a temporary ballot tabulation center operator. A background check was required and came back without any criminal convictions, according to an Elections Department spokesperson.
But court documents show Ringfield was previously charged with pocketing more than $1,000 in cash from Fry’s Food And Drug last year. The case never went to a conviction. Instead, Ringfield entered a diversion program and prosecution was suspended.
Ringfield is apparently not registered with any political party. However, last year he filed a statement of interest to run for U.S. Senate in 2024 as a Democrat, a detail that raises eyebrows given the circumstances.
Conservative Arizona talk show host Garret Lewis has raised concerns, questioning whether the upcoming July 30 election might be a “dry run to steal the election.”
This election is significant as Republicans are expected to support Trump-endorsed Senate candidate Kari Lake. Notably, in the 2022 primary, Kari Lake almost lost to Doug Ducey-endorsed Karrin Taylor Robson, despite leading in the polls, due to widespread voter disenfranchisement and alleged fraud on election day.
During Pinal County’s 2022 primary, polling locations ran out of Republican ballots, turning voters away. Before this, the county mistakenly sent 63,000 erroneous ballots to voters ahead of the August 2nd primary election.
Despite these issues, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb maintains that there is no evidence of untrustworthy elections in Arizona or Pinal County. Currently, Kari Lake is the clear frontrunner, leading Lamb by more than 30 points in the 2024 primary.
Additionally, printers were not working in Maricopa County, and Pima County poll workers were illegally trained to give Republican ballots to Democratic voters and to illegally electioneer in the 2022 primary for governor.
According to Lewis, the key fob that was stolen allows users to see “who is getting the most votes, and it doesn’t show in this fob who is actually in the room.” He continues, “There’s no track record— nothing about who’s actually in there.”
Lewis: Maricopa County, they had a worker who was arrested for stealing a key fob to get into the room with all the tabulators. It’s kind of a big deal, isn’t it? And the media is trying to hide this saying well, he’s not registered with any political party. It turns out that dude was signed up, did the paperwork to run for Senate here in Arizona as a Democrat last year, last year.
And on top of that, this guy has a background. Oh yeah, he got busted stealing $1,000 in cash from a Fry’s grocery store. Yet, he still got the job in Maricopa County to work. And he somehow got a key fob for the tabulation center. And that’s a big deal too, the key fob. Oh, yes.
Apparently a lot of these workers just have random key fobs where they can get into the room with all the tabulators. They can see who is getting the most votes, and it doesn’t show in this fob who is actually in the room. It just opens the door.
There’s no track record— nothing about who’s actually in there. And yet, the balding RINO Stephen Richer says, not a problem, the system worked great, all good. We got the guy, all good.
A guy that was a registered Democrat that ran for Senate got busted stealing a key fob to get into the tabulation center. Looks to me like a dry run to steal the election when it comes up on the primary election day. Who votes on election day? Republicans.
WATCH:
