Maricopa County recorder has an invitation for election doubters

PHOENIX – Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer has an invitation for anybody who harbors a distrust of the voting system that he helps run.

“If you have any doubts, come on down, take a tour, we’d love to host you. Just reach out to me, we’re very accessible. Come and take a tour,” Richer told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Wednesday.

And while it’s not an election year, it’s not too early to recruit workers for 2024.

“That’s the other thing,” the Republican said. “We have to hire 3,000 temporary workers to run every general election, and we’d love to have you whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, independent, Libertarian or otherwise.”

Richer said keeping the public engaged and informed has been an important part of his job since he took office in 2021. He acknowledges that a segment of the public won’t listen to what he and other elected officials say, but he’s hoping other voices can be effective going forward.

“We’re going to be working with some hopefully trusted messengers, members of the faith community who we can equip with more information so that they can be spreading it if we’re not the best spokespeople all the time,” he said.

Richer reiterated that his doors are open to anybody with questions.

“I said just the other day that if we had all 4.5 million residents of Maricopa County down in our facility, and if we could show them how the process is professional, how it’s bipartisan, how it’s transparent, if we could walk them through, show them the machines, then I think we would be in a much better position,” he said.

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