Officials eye early voting sites in Maricopa County amid ongoing disputes

Early voting sites part of ongoing dispute between Board of Supervisors recorder

Discussions surrounding early voting for the primaries and general election continue to go back and forth. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean learns how officials are working behind the scenes to ensure voters can seamlessly cast their ballots.

MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. - In Maricopa County, local leaders are expressing optimism regarding ongoing discussions about early voting for the upcoming July primaries and the November general election.

What we know:

While recent public discourse has been marked by back-and-forth statements regarding site plans for early voting, both the Board of Supervisors and County Recorder Justin Heap say that work is being done behind the scenes to ensure voters can cast their ballots without issue.

"Primaries and the general election are going to be huge," said Kate Brophy McGee, chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. "Actually, I’m encouraged by the discussions, despite what you hear out there, see out there, or what's been said on social media. The Recorder's staff and our staff are working together."

Ahead of a July primary with races for Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General on the ballot, election officials in Arizona's largest county are weighing in on how planning is going. A central topic of these discussions is early voting. 

Big picture view:

At a meeting in February, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution giving nearly all early voting responsibilities to Heap. The board also voted to approve $550,000 in additional funding for the Recorder’s Office to implement a new signature verification process.

"He had requested that," Brophy McGee said. "And again, because of the timeline to get those stations ordered, brought here and installed, we need to get started on that now."

The final number of early voting sites available in the county is still being determined. In a statement to FOX 10 on March 10, Heap’s office noted that four additional 28-day voting locations are part of an ongoing discussion focused on providing convenience and access for every eligible voter.

Dig deeper:

Planning continues despite Heap’s ongoing lawsuit against the board.

"There's a court case and everybody's following the court case, but on the ground it has to do with our staff, the Recorder's staff, our elections staff, working together," Brophy McGee said. "Take out the personalities, you can take out the disagreements; our job as elected officials is to provide the voters every opportunity for an excellent election."

What they're saying:

A statement was released from Recorder Justin Heap's Office saying on March 11:

"We are grateful for the court ruling in our favor today. The Board's attempts to use extra-judicial subpoenas, compelled testimony, and threats of removal to interfere with lawful judicial proceedings were resoundingly rejected. We look forward to the court's final ruling in our case."

Supervisor Mark Stewart also released the following, saying, "This ruling reinforces what many of us already know, it may be time to bring in a neutral mediator. The Board and the Recorder are aligned on the vast majority of the operational issues, and there is a clear, practical path to resolve what remains. The voters expect leadership and results, not prolonged disputes. I will be encouraging both sides to get in a room, work through the remaining differences, and move forward without asking the court to decide matters we should be able to solve ourselves."

On March 10, the Recorder's Office also released a statement.

"We are currently working with the Maricopa County Elections Department to secure four additional 28-day voting locations. The Recorder’s focus remains on ensuring every eligible voter in Maricopa County has access to a full range of convenient voting options."

What's next:

As a reminder for voters, the primaries are scheduled for July 21. The date was moved to July as part of bipartisan legislation signed last month by Gov. Katie Hobbs.