Maricopa County early voting starts amid Trump criticism and new election responsibilities

PHOENIX - Early voting is officially underway in Arizona, putting renewed attention on Maricopa County as officials prepare for a closely watched midterm election.

Ballots Sent Out:

About 1.9 million ballots were mailed to Maricopa County voters Wednesday, kicking off early voting in one of the nation’s largest election jurisdictions.

The county is already facing fresh criticism from President Donald Trump after the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office said the election vendor, Runbeck Election Services, mistakenly mailed 3,126 early ballots nearly a week ahead of schedule.

The Recorder’s Office said the ballots were mailed without its authorization, but the correct ballots went to the correct voters and remain valid.

Trump criticized the county over the error, saying, "Maricopa sent out thousands of ballots illegally, and they got caught, and now they’re saying it was an error. Maricopa is a very, very dishonest county."

Recorder Justin Heap responds

Heap responded to President Trump's comments on Oct. 7 saying: 

"It does seem to me that President Trump was speaking off the cuff. A reporter started throwing questions at him, ‘Did you hear something?’, and he threw some off-the-cuff comments out there," Heap said. " We will follow the law, and we will make sure that this election runs smoother than any we have had in the past."

Election Duties:

The scrutiny comes as Maricopa County begins an election under a new division of responsibilities.

A years-long legal fight over control of election duties ended this summer with a power-sharing agreement between Heap and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

Under the agreement, Heap’s office is responsible for early voting, while the county’s Elections Department handles Election Day voting.

"We were given back early voting just 80 days ago by the court, and so we had to build out a whole new infrastructure," Heap said. "My team has done amazing work."

Working Together:

Heap said both sides have worked to implement the agreement.

"Both sides have made a good faith effort to fulfill the terms of the agreement, things have been transferred properly... we have what we need to be successful," he said.

A New Addition:

There is no presidential race on the Arizona ballot this year, but voters will choose a governor and, for the first time, a lieutenant governor.

More on the Ballot:

They will also vote for attorney general, superintendent of public instruction and congressional candidates in races that could affect the balance of power in Washington.

What they're saying:

Political consultant Stan Barnes, CEO of Copper State Consulting, said the arrival of ballots marks an important point in the campaign.

"If you had a lot of money in the campaign, you spend it early, you focus on your character, your reputation and define your opponent," Barnes said. "If you don’t have a lot of money, you wait until now when voters are paying attention...people are ready to make a decision. People have ballots in their hands this week, and that means everything to campaigns."

Important Dates

Election Day in Arizona is Nov. 3.

In Maricopa County, the deadline to request a mail-in-ballot is Oct. 23, and election officials recommend mailing completed ballots back by Oct. 27.

A list of voting locations can be found here.

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