About 3,126 Maricopa County voters may already have their general election ballots. Runbeck Election Services, the county's ballot mailing vendor, told the Maricopa County Recorder's Office on Oct. 2 that it had sent those early ballots out by mistake on Oct. 1, according to Recorder Justin Heap. The county's scheduled mailing date is Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Heap said his office did not approve the early mailing and found out about it afterward. He said the right ballots reached the right voters, so only the timing was affected. After checking with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, Heap said the ballots count as valid and no replacements will be sent.
Voters who got one can complete it and send it back normally, and any ballot that arrives before early voting begins will stay sealed and in secure storage until processing starts, he said. Heap said no voter was harmed by the error. Arizona's Family said Runbeck had not responded to its request for comment.
Disputed warning about mail delays
Separately, Heap told the Board of Supervisors at a pre-election briefing last week that voters could see mail delays of a few days. "That doesn't have to do with our office; it has to do with the post office," he said, according to 12News.
He said the Postal Service had closed its central Phoenix facility a year ago and that mail now goes through San Diego.
Secretary of State Adrian Fontes disputed that. "My office spoke to the U.S. Postal Service on Saturday, and we were assured the USPS Phoenix processing center is fully operational," Fontes told 12News. He said all counties should mail ballots on Oct. 7 as usual and that his office saw no reason to expect Postal Service delays.
12News reported that postal union members said nothing had changed, that it found no record of the facility closing, and that Heap's office and the Postal Service did not respond to its questions.
