Mohave County elections staff say BallotGuard paper tabulates correctly but causes high feed errors; recommend not using it

Mohave County Elections Department staff reported to the Board of Supervisors on Sept. 16 that BallotGuard ballot paper tallied all test ballots correctly but produced frequent multi-feed and pick errors on the county's tabulation equipment, leading staff to recommend against printing ballots on BallotGuard paper for Mohave County elections.

Why it matters: The county said BallotGuard's embedded security features are attractive for counterfeiting protection, but operational performance — speed and reliability of tabulation on the county's existing tabulators — is essential for timely reporting and accurate processing of ballots. Staff said BallotGuard would slow tabulation and increase staff time because it produces jams and requires re-running ballots.

What staff tested and found

- Test scope: Elections staff and engineers ran roughly 3,236 ballots through central-count tabulators. Staff also used an 850-ballot test deck marked to match the county's 2024 general-election decks to compare performance.

- Tabulation results: Ballots printed on Runbeck's standard paper produced nearly zero pick errors and a 0.4% multi-feed error rate in those tests. The same tests using the BallotGuard paper produced 54 pick errors and 191 multi-feed errors, representing a 5.9% combined error ratio on the county's tabulators. Despite the feed errors, votes on the test ballots were tallied correctly.

- Causes and vendor testing: Elections Director Alan Temper said Runbeck (Runbeck Election Services) supplied BallotGuard paper but does not own tabulation equipment and therefore could not test the paper on Mohave County's machines. Staff also reported that Election Systems & Software (ES&S) engineers ran independent tests and observed similar feed issues on their scanners; ES&S is exploring mechanical adjustments to roller/feed components.

Staff recommendation and alternatives

- Recommendation: After an approximately two-and-a-half-month in-house evaluation and extended testing, Mohave County elections staff recommended not to print ballots on BallotGuard paper for Mohave County elections in its current form because of tabulation inefficiencies that could slow results and increase staff workload.

- Alternatives: Staff described an alternative approach using printed security elements rather than embedded paper features. A vendor identified as Provote (a California-based printer) supplied a ballot printed to standard paper weight with printed county seals in special inks, infrared taggant, and microprint. That product ran efficiently through county tabulators in staff tests. Staff said Provote-style paper would add an estimated at-least 6 cents per ballot (plus shipping) but runs on the tabulators without the pick/multi-feed errors observed on BallotGuard.

Quotes

- "BallotGuard ballots tallied all races and candidates properly, but it was inefficient to get to the end results," said Alan Temper, Mohave County Elections Director. "Many pick errors occurred... many multi-feed errors occurred... which requires the ballots to be rerun repeatedly, costing more staff hours and potential delay in reporting results."

- "Provote Solutions printed a ballot that ran efficiently through our tabulators," said Karina Sumner, Deputy Elections Director. "They offered printed security elements that do not change the paper weight the tabulators were built to expect."

Next steps

- Staff told the board they will continue to work with Runbeck and other vendors to explore printed security measures that preserve tabulation speed and reliability. Runbeck has indicated a willingness to work with its paper manufacturer and designers to develop ballot security options that could meet Mohave County's needs. Staff said the first ballots under any new design will not be printed until May (2026) at the earliest under the current timeline.

Ending: The county will not adopt BallotGuard paper for its tabulation systems without further vendor or equipment adjustments; staff will return with alternative security-printing options for board consideration.