About Us
Upholding Confidence in Democracy
Mission
Our Mission is to support and empower every participant in the election process, thereby Defending Democracy.
Vision
Our Vision is to provide the best resources to ensure every voter is confident in the outcome of the electoral process.
Built on a legacy of integrity and a spirit of “pushing the envelope”.
Established in 1972, Runbeck Election Services (RES) has played a pivotal role in advancing and modernizing the electoral process for the past five decades. From supporting a few Arizona counties to now offering tailored electoral services for over 100 counties, our trailblazing mindset has enabled us to comprehensively support democracy across the United States.
Our 163,000 sq. ft. Phoenix, Arizona-based hub is the epicenter of our company’s operations and innovation—where our dedicated team ensures every aspect of our technology and services is perfected. While our headquarters are based in Arizona, our team is strategically spread across the country to support our election partners.
Our Values
- Innovation: Continually adapting to the needs of the election officials we serve in support of their continued success.
- Integrity: Operating with the highest levels of accountability and trustworthiness as an organization and in our daily partnerships with our partners.
- Teamwork: Working with a singular focus on our partner’s needs to achieve mutual success with each interaction.
- Excellence: Committed to creating an exceptional partner experience in all we do.
RES History
1972
Chuck Runbeck started his printing company. Little did he know how soon the election industry would evolve!
1973
Runbeck is contracted by Computer Election Systems to print its new Votomatic punch card ballot system.
1988
Kevin Runbeck takes over the business from his father, Chuck, as Owner and President.
1992
RES begins its partnership with Maricopa County for its biggest Election Printing and Mailing job up to that point.
2001
The Sentio Ballot Printing On-Demand System was developed in response to a shift towards hand-marked ballots from the use of punch-card ballots.
2010
Agilis Election Mail Sorting and Processing System was introduced as the first and only elections-specific mail sorting solution.
2011
The first of RES' software solutions is developed resulting in Simulo Electronic Ballot Duplication Software.
2014
The first of three HP Web Printing Presses are added to the RES production floor as print demands continue to grow.
2018
Having outgrown the original production office, the RES team transitioned into the current Phoenix, AZ based headquarters.
2020
RES opened their operations to media and politicians more than ever before. Since 2020, President & CEO, Jeff Ellington, has responded to over 300 media inquiries on behalf of Runbeck Election Services.
2022
RES added an additional 73,000 square feet to its production facility for a total of 163,000 square feet of space for election printing, bindery, inserting, sorting, and shipping.
2023
Lincoln Shields, a subsidiary of Black Mountain Investment Company, acquires a majority stake in RES expanding its goods, services, and reach as an election partner. RES acquires Global Mobile, introduces the 2VOTE Mobile Technology Platform, and introduces the AgilisFalcon for mid-volume mail sorting.
2024
RES introduces Runbeck Emergency Support Technology (R.E.S.T.) badges to support election officials and staff, PackeTrak for mail packet tracking, and continues to expand 2VOTE features.
2025
RES proudly introduces the Sentinel Secure Smart Dropbox and launches The Hub customer portal.
2026
RES acquires the Fidlar/Cathedral Election Print Division from FSSI — a significant step in RES’ continued national growth. RES introduces and continues development of VoteCORE, an innovative voter registration and election management system.
Voter Protection is
our highest priority.
SOC 2 TYPE II CERTIFIED
The Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 Type II examination demonstrates that an independent accounting & auditing firm has examined & tested our infrastructure, software, personnel, procedures, and data and has determined our organization is operating securely and effectively. We undergo routine audits to ensure we remain SOC 2 Type II compliant.
LEADERSHIP IN ELECTION SECURITY
We are a member of the federal Subsector Coordinating Council, which is a part of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) under the Department of Homeland Security. We are also a member of the EI-ISAC (the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center) and MS-ISAC (the Multi-State Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center), both of which are under the Center for Internet Security. Finally, we are a member of the American Council For Election Technology (ACET) advancing policies and programs that enhance election technology.
Building Security
- We screen all visitors entering our facility. They must sign in upon entry, obtain security badges, and be escorted by authorized personnel at all times.
- ID badge-protected doors are in place for all work areas, securing sensitive product, information, loading docks, and parking lots.
- We utilize sophisticated 24/7 camera surveillance recording throughout the entire production facility and outside perimeter, including parking lots.
- We immediately contain and dispose of all waste material manufactured within our plant.
- All inbound shipping materials are checked in and verified by authorized personnel for accurate counts against the receiving documents.
Cyber Security
- All ballot artwork is delivered via Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) to our server.
- We contract with independent private security monitoring agencies that actively monitor our networks, providing threat detection and response.
- All voter data provided by the county is encrypted both “in-transit” and “at rest.”
- The latest technology, including 2-factor authentication, is utilized to ensure data is accessible only to authorized individuals.
- Each of our in-house servers are air-gapped from each other as a fail-safe security measure.