Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said the incident in which a temporary election worker allegedly stole a “digital magnetic key” from the Maricopa County Counting and Election Center on Thursday “raises serious questions about the security of Arizona’s elections” and that he wanted explanations.
KTAR News reported that Walter Lingfield, 27, was arrested on suspicion of “larceny and criminal damage to property” for allegedly stealing the items. He had previously been charged with a felony and was on probation at the time of the crime.
As CNN report:
According to court documents, Lingfield was seen on surveillance video walking past a desk and several counting machines just after 5 p.m. on June 20.
According to court documents, surveillance footage then shows Lingfield stopping in front of the desk and grabbing the lanyard with the security fob and key attached and placing it in his pocket.
After being confronted by election officials about taking his security fob and keys, Lingfield allowed security agents to search his car, and Arizona detectives eventually executed a search warrant on Lingfield’s home, where the fob was left.
“The stolen digital magnetic keys could actually be used to log into the counting machines at our election centers,” Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner said at a press conference Tuesday.
WATCH — FLASHBACK — Election Day morning: Voting machines not working at multiple locations in Maricopa County, Arizona, 2022:
“So you can understand the concerns and the impact that that would have,” he added.
But Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates said the keys alone would not be enough to start the machines, the Arizona Mirror reported. report.
Maricopa County temporary election worker Walter Lingfield (pictured) was arrested on June 21, 2024, for stealing a key fob from an election center (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)
In a statement release On Tuesday, Whatley said the Republican National Committee and the Arizona Republican Party (AZGOP) had “deployed lawyers and observers to the site as part of our election integrity program to gather information and promote transparency as the situation evolves.”
“The Republican National Committee and the Arizona Republican Party have a long history of addressing election issues in Maricopa County both on the ground and in the courts, and yesterday’s events are an example of our election integrity program’s ability to provide real-time legal response when issues arise at counting centers,” he added.
Michael Whatley speaks in Greensboro, North Carolina, on June 9, 2023. (Photo by Meg Kinnard/AP)
“This incident raises serious questions about the security of Arizona’s elections that must be answered,” Whatley said, adding that the Republican National Committee would “consult constructively with Maricopa County officials to ensure that any response to this security breach adequately addresses our concerns.”
The Maricopa County Elections Department told ABC15 in a statement Monday that election officials are “reprogramming and rerunning logic and accuracy tests on all devices” to ensure the integrity of the election.
Skinner I got it. The theft is estimated to cost more than $20,000 due to reprogramming efforts ahead of the July 30 primary election.
