Maricopa County’s long-simmering election turf war just got a major cash infusion. County supervisors voted last Thursday to wade deeper into the dispute with County Recorder Justin Heap, offering to coordinate on key election duties and greenlighting a $550,000 boost to his office’s signature-verification budget. The move comes in the middle of a months-long fight over a Shared Services Agreement that has left control of early voting and in-person voting in limbo. Supervisors also set a hard deadline, asking Heap to answer a letter about early voting by Feb. 27.
According to KTAR News, supervisors voted 5-0 at a Feb. 19 meeting to adopt a resolution laying out the board’s policy stance if no new agreement is reached. The same report notes that the $550,000 is specifically earmarked for signature verification inside the recorder’s office, with the goal of tightening checks ahead of the July primary.
What supervisors put on the table
Board leaders say the offer to Heap includes coordination on in-person early voting, a temporary increase in IT staffing, joint poll-worker training and help recruiting temporary workers to staff vote centers. As reported by ABC15, Vice Chair Debbie Lesko described the package as “a fair offer” and said supervisors are willing to split IT functions with the recorder while the two sides separate their systems.
Heap’s pushback and the legal backdrop
Heap, who took office in January 2025, has not exactly embraced the arrangement. He terminated the previous Shared Services Agreement and filed suit in an effort to reclaim authority over early voting and other election functions. KJZZ reported that earlier this month the board went a step further, voting to compel Heap to testify under oath about signature-verification practices and other aspects of election operations as tensions escalated.
The election calendar crunch
The clock is not exactly on anyone’s side. Maricopa County’s primary is set for July 21, 2026, with early voting scheduled to begin June 24, 2026, according to the county’s election calendar. With those dates approaching, supervisors say they need clear answers on who will oversee in-person voting and staffing. They also warned that if Heap does not respond by the Feb. 27 deadline, they will proceed as if the recorder can manage those operations on his own.
What happens next
Officials on both sides insist they want a workable deal that keeps election operations steady, yet the fight has already spilled into courtrooms and public hearings. KTAR News reports that the extra funding and the board’s policy resolution are aimed at shoring up immediate capacity for signature checks while negotiators either hammer out a new Shared Services Agreement or the county proceeds under the framework set by the board.
The legal stakes
The board has the authority to compel reports and sworn testimony from county officers, a power it has already exercised in this dispute. However, supervisors told ABC15 that removal from office would be on the table only in cases involving criminal conduct. For now, both camps publicly maintain that their top priority is protecting voter access and keeping ballot processing on track as the June and July election deadlines approach.
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