Board approves Runbeck contract for ballot printing and adds optional anti‑counterfeit measures
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Summary
After public comment and staff explanation of a new solicitation, the board approved awarding the ballot printing and mailing contract to Runbeck Election Services and added optional ballot-guard/anti‑counterfeit countermeasures as an available add‑on; supervisors discussed routing, security, and contract cooperative language.
The Board of Supervisors voted April 21 to award a solicitation for printing and mailing election materials to Runbeck Election Services (Phoenix) and accepted contract language that allows optional anti‑counterfeit “ballot-guard” measures at additional per‑ballot cost.
Procurement staff explained this was not a contract renewal but a new solicitation circulated nationally; two offers were received, including Runbeck (Phoenix) and a national firm. The solicitation included cooperative-procurement language so other jurisdictions could use the contract and the county could charge an administrative fee for outside use.
Public comment pressed staff and the board about Runbeck’s national routing practices and whether ballots are routed through Las Vegas; one commenter said mailed ballots are routed through the Las Vegas post office and urged the board to explore options that keep mail within Arizona. Recorder staff and procurement briefed the board: the county’s voter registration system (AVID) and ballot-mail logistics historically have resulted in some mail transiting other regional postal hubs; procurement said the solicitation asked vendors about anti‑counterfeit features and Runbeck confirmed availability of options such as invisible fibers, proprietary watermarks and IR tagging at an incremental cost (procurement said roughly 10–15 cents additional per ballot for those features).
Supervisor Borelli moved to approve item 11 with the ballot‑guard counterfeit countermeasures included as an available option; the motion was seconded and the board approved the award and the option by voice vote. Procurement said the anti‑counterfeit measures would be available as add‑on pricing rather than included in the base cost, and that the county can market the contract as a cooperative for other agencies to use.
Recorders’ staff also explained Mohave County pays an annual maintenance invoice to the Arizona Secretary of State for the AVID voter-registration system (about $29,605.13) and that the Secretary of State no longer requires a signed intergovernmental agreement (IGA); the recorder said counties can continue paying for AVID even without a signed IGA.
Ending: The board approved the Runbeck award and added ballot‑guard countermeasures as an option; procurement and the recorder said staff would continue to work on anti‑counterfeit options and cooperative contract administration ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
