FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Maricopa County Recorder Responds to Board of Supervisors Election Error Affecting 2,288 Ballots
This morning, our office was notified that 2,288 ballots were discovered left behind at a Ballot Replacement Site in Fountain Hills. These ballots were forgotten and left unattended by poll workers employed by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. This mistake is deeply disappointing.
Under Arizona law, Ballot Replacement Sites fall under the statutory responsibilities of the Recorder’s Office, yet despite the clarity of the law the Board of Supervisors has continued to improperly control these locations.
This latest error undermines voter confidence and highlights the ongoing problems caused by the Board’s continued seizure of functions that statutorily belong to the Recorder.
Our immediate priority is to ensure no voter is disenfranchised as a result of the Board’s mistake. The Recorder’s Office is rapidly processing and signature-verifying the impacted ballots to ensure that all lawful votes are counted. Because the signature-curing deadline under A.R.S. § 16-550(A) is 5:00 p.m. today, our team is working urgently to contact every impacted voter, multiple times if necessary, to ensure their ballot is cured and counted.
While errors can occur in a county as large as Maricopa, the repeated mistakes over the past many election cycles have eroded public trust in Maricopa County’s elections. The Recorder’s Office remains committed to transparency, accountability, and ensuring that every valid vote is counted despite the Board’s error.
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