Maricopa County board accuses recorder of being ‘misleading’ about early voting planning

PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is accusing Recorder Justin Heap of misrepresenting the contents of their communications regarding early voting for the upcoming midterm elections.

Heap issued a letter Thursday in response to the Board of Supervisors’ suggestions for early in-person voting sites. Early voting starts June 24 for Arizona’s July 21 primaries.

In a missive addressed to board Chair Kate Brophy McGee and Vice Chair Debbie Lesko, Heap wrote that his office “remains fully committed to providing secure, accessible and lawful elections” but he has “serious concerns” about the board’s proposal.

“The proposed early voting plan you provided makes voting inconvenient and inaccessible for a large number of Maricopa County voters,” Heap wrote.

I have serious concerns that the proposed early voting plan [the Board] provided makes voting inconvenient and inaccessible for a large number of Maricopa County voters.

I cannot support a plan that does not provide all voters a reasonably equal opportunity to vote.

I remain… https://t.co/ywC5QTazWg pic.twitter.com/yhkNju1yoD

— Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap (@azjustinheap) February 27, 2026

Heap included a map showing 25 sites scattered across the Valley with his letter.

However, McGee and Lesko issued a joint response on Thursday calling Heap’s letter “misleading and disappointing” and saying they offered far more site options than what he claimed.

“We even gave him a list of more than 160 voting centers he could use or modify, but we can’t force him to accept our assistance,” the two supervisors said.

NEW: Chair @katemcgeeaz and Vice Chair @debbielesko respond to Recorder re: in-person early voting. pic.twitter.com/eknAEGEPyS

— Maricopa County (@maricopacounty) February 27, 2026

KTAR News 92.3 FM reached out to the Recorder’s Office for a response about the apparent discrepancy.

On Friday, Lesko inferred that Heap may have failed click on all the tabs of the board’s spreadsheet listing the possible voting locations before writing his response. She also said the supervisors sent a list of possible sites “he can use or modify” and an offer to coordinate on early voting — but not “a plan.”

We also asked Heap if he wanted to coordinate hiring and training poll workers with the Elections Department since he's never run in-person early voting sites before. In court he said he wanted to coordinate. Now, it appears not.

— Debbie Lesko (@DebbieLesko) February 27, 2026

“1. Heap demands early in-person voting. 2. We give it to him. 3. We send Heap list of over 160 sites he can use or modify. 3. Heap apparently doesn’t open all site spreadsheet tabs and rejects ‘our plan’. 4. We didn’t even send him a plan … just a list of voting sites,” Lesko wrote in a Friday morning X thread.

Supervisor Thomas Galvin drew a similar conclusion about the list.

“Bless his heart. He didn’t open all the tabs on the Excel spreadsheet. Swing and a miss, Justin,” Galvin wrote Thursday night on X.

Maricopa County Supervisors approved $550,000 funding request

The latest back and forth came after McGee and Lesko sent a letter to Heap on Tuesday offering to coordinate with the Recorder’s Office on early voting.

“Opening dozens of polling places to early in-person voting — incrementally — provides staff a proven, efficient way to get all vote centers up and running to best serve election day voters,” the letter said.

On Wednesday, the board approved a one-time request by the Recorder’s Office for $550,000 to acquire 150 additional voter signature verification workstations. Galvin was the lone “no” vote against the request.

Before Heap sent his latest missive on Thursday, Galvin told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show that the first-term recorder’s change to ballot review procedures, including signature verification, could jeopardize the accuracy of upcoming elections.

“When he explains the signature verification process, it gives me pause,” Galvin said. “What I’m really worried about … is a lot of valid votes being rejected in July and November.”

Heap, board have ongoing dispute about control of elections

Election duties are split between county supervisors and recorders under state law, but Heap and the Maricopa County board have been unable to settle their differences about certain aspects of a Shared Services Agreement (SSA) on the matter since he took office in January 2025.

Heap filed a lawsuit in June 2025, accusing the five-member elected board of overstepping its authority in its SSA proposal. Heap and four of the five supervisors are all Republicans.

The recorder appeared under oath before the board on Feb. 19 to provide a report about a variety of election-related topics, including the signature verification system he initiated.

That meeting ended with the board voting 5-0 in favor of a resolution declaring its policy position in the absence of a detailed, negotiated agreement with Heap. The policy puts the recorder in charge of site selection for in-person voting as well as equipment, staffing and training.

Heap said in Thursday’s letter that the board had not yet transferred any staff, funding, equipment or planning authority for early voting to the Recorder’s Office.

“I remain willing to work in good faith. But cooperation does note mean rubber-stamping a plan my office had no role in building,” Heap wrote.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Payne Moses contributed to this report.

This is an updated version of a story originally published on Feb. 26, 2026.

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