In the ongoing saga of Maricopa County's election oversight controversy, Recorder Justin Heap has put forth his latest move to reclaim control over election processes. Heap submitted his final Shared Services Agreement (SSA) proposal to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, aiming to resolve a dispute that began with a shake-up by the prior Recorder and a majority of the Board just before Heap's tenure began. This submission comes against a backdrop of complex legal and political wrangling over who should preside over the state's largest election system.
The roots of this contention can be traced back to when former Recorder Stephen Richer and a "lame-duck Board majority", rushed to pass a new SSA, thus limiting Heap's influence over elections as he stepped into office. This change, effected on December 10, 2024, not only stripped away responsibilities but also reduced Heap's budget and staff. In response, Heap made efforts to engage the Board in crafting a new SSA to restore the powers vested in his office by state law. According to a statement from the Recorder's office, these efforts included "formal letters, emails, phone calls, and direct meeting requests."
Despite Recorder Heap’s push for collaboration, the Board, led by Thomas Galvin, has allegedly failed to meaningfully cooperate in drafting an SSA that addresses the crux of these issues. The Recorder's Office impugns this lack of cooperation, accusing the Board of opting to propagate misinformation about the negotiations while restricting Heap’s and the public's participation in official proceedings. The absence of an SSA, according to the Recorder's Office, compromises the robustness of the approaching special elections and potentially sets the stage for repeat troubles in the 2026 electoral cycle.
Rejecting the status quo, Heap demands in his final SSA proposal that all statutory authority, including adequate budgeting for election management, be restored to his office. The proposal, developed with counsel from former Arizona Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould, is aimed at reverting the parties to their legally mandated roles. "Ensuring that voters can have confidence in the process and outcome of our elections is the civil rights issue of our time," Recorder Heap declared, emphasizing his intent to leverage all legislative tools to ensure election integrity. Despite the public psy-warfare the Board may continue to wage, Heap asserts his commitment to remedying the electoral dysfunctions for the County's citizens.
The Maricopa County Recorder's Office stands firm in its pledge to deliver more secure and transparent elections, consistent with Heap's campaign assurances and the obligations under the Arizona Constitution and Arizona Revised Statutes. Heap was clear in his disposition, as articulated in the aforementioned statement: "I was elected with a clear mandate from the voters. They’re tired of our elections being the laughingstock of the nation, and they want them fixed immediately. I intend to do precisely that, and I will utilize every tool under state and federal law to do so." The statement further critiqued the Board for its "appalling behavior and gaslighting," tracing the problematic situation directly back to the clandestine actions taken just before Heap's induction.
