A surveillance video captured inside a Maricopa County ballot tabulation center has ignited a contentious public debate involving county officials, an election integrity group, and prominent political figures. The footage, which purports to show two county employees inserting flash drives into computers after hours, was posted on X on Friday by We the People USA Alliance, drawing immediate scrutiny and differing interpretations.
"There are two flaws with the Maricopa County Election Department’s statement of transparency. First, they fail to disclose to the public what this ‘legitimate election task’ was that required occurring late into the night, and second, they indicate this can be viewed 24/7 by the public; however, the feed published by WTP USA does not appear to be part of the public feeds." Shelby Busch, Co-founder, We the People USA Alliance
The incident depicted in the video reportedly occurred around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7, at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center. According to We the People USA Alliance, the computers in question had already undergone logic and accuracy (L&A) testing. The group further claimed that the employees shown in the video had previously exited the building earlier that evening before returning. Their post, which quickly circulated online, declared: “BUSTED: Exclusive Video of Maricopa County BOS employees (toddler in tow) in highly secure Ballot Tabulation Center at 10:30pm inserting flash drives into computers (Post L&A) during an active election obtained by our source!” The organization also connected one of the employees to prior allegations regarding deleted election-related files following the 2020 election.
Maricopa County officials swiftly issued a written statement, categorically rejecting any implication of impropriety. The county described the employees' actions as standard election work, conducted late into the night. "As occurs in the weeks preceding an election, these employees were working on a legitimate election task, late into the night," the county stated. "These photos may be used on social media to imply wrongdoing. This is not the case. Know the facts, so you can vote confidently."
However, Shelby Busch, a co-founder of We the People USA Alliance, challenged the county's explanation in comments made to The Gateway Pundit. Busch highlighted what she identified as two significant flaws in the county's statement. "There are two flaws with the Maricopa County Election Department’s statement of transparency," Busch stated. "First, they fail to disclose to the public what this ‘legitimate election task’ was that required occurring late into the night, and second, they indicate this can be viewed 24/7 by the public; however, the feed published by WTP USA does not appear to be part of the public feeds." Busch further clarified her group’s position, asserting, "We do not presume to know what was on those flash drives, but what we do know is that secure computers were unlocked and external devices were inserted into highly sensitive systems late at night and without any public oversight." She added that additional video footage obtained by her group raised "heavy concern over the chain of custody of the external flash drive."
Kari Lake, a prominent Republican figure who has previously run for governor and senator in Arizona, entered the discourse by reposting the video. Lake characterized the event as "More shenanigans at the Maricopa county ballot tabulation center," adding, "Only through God’s intervention was this even discovered. This happened Wednesday night at 10:30 pm."
This is not the first instance of Maricopa County's election procedures facing intense scrutiny. The county encountered significant issues during the 2022 election, where ballot-printing problems prevented tabulators at some polling places from reading certain ballots on Election Day. Following her loss in the 2022 gubernatorial race to Democrat Katie Hobbs, Lake contested the results. During that legal challenge, Maricopa County acknowledged that it had installed "new memory cards on its Election Day tabulators" on October 14, 17, and 18, 2022. This occurred after logic and accuracy testing had been completed on October 11 of that year. Lake’s legal team argued that these post-testing changes raised serious questions about compliance with established election procedures. The county, in response, maintained that the new cards contained the certified election program.
The county's 2020 election also became the subject of a state Senate-mandated forensic audit. That audit, while ultimately concluding that no actionable measures should be taken despite acknowledging the likelihood of abuses, found substantial evidence of irregularities in mail-in ballots. Furthermore, the audit criticized Maricopa County officials for allegedly obstructing the review of electronic records.
As of now, Maricopa County continues to uphold its assertion that the activity observed on October 7 was a legitimate election task. We the People USA Alliance, conversely, has not speculated on the contents of the flash drives but persists in questioning the transparency and completeness of the county’s official explanation. The public dispute underscores ongoing concerns about election integrity and oversight in one of the nation's largest counties.
