Maricopa Recorder Sues County Board for ‘Unlawful’ Seizure of Election Powers
The Board of Supervisors running Arizona’s largest county is illegally withholding key resources from the locality’s Republican elections chief that allow him to perform his lawfully mandated duties, a lawsuit filed Thursday claims.
Brought by Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap, the legal complaint alleged that the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (BOS) is refusing to “provide the necessary funds for the Recorder to conduct essential duties of his office unless he cedes much of his statutory authority to the BOS and permits the BOS to retain control over the systems and personnel required for the Recorder’s Office to fulfill the Recorder’s statutory functions.” As argued in the suit, “Arizona’s statutes are clear: the Legislature has delegated to the Recorder, and not to the Board of Supervisors, numerous responsibilities for election administration, and the Board of Supervisors has a mandatory duty to fund the Recorder’s conduct of his duties.”
Heap is represented by America First Legal in the matter.
The conflict between Heap and the Maricopa County Board can be traced back to before the former took office in January.
Months after his defeat in Arizona’s July 2024 primaries and weeks before Heap’s eventual victory in the November general election, then-Recorder Stephen Richer — a notable opponent of election integrity efforts — struck a deal with the Board on a new Shared Services Agreement (SSA). As The Federalist previously reported, this new contract effectively stripped key election administration responsibilities and resources from the recorder’s office and gave them to the Board of Supervisors. (Read more from “Maricopa Recorder Sues County Board for ‘Unlawful’ Seizure of Election Powers” HERE)
