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Top Officials in Arizona's Maricopa County Agree on How to Oversee Elections, Ending a Legal Battle
The agreement splits election duties and adds $15 million for a new IT system and 24 positions in the recorder’s office.
- On Tuesday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Recorder Justin Heap settled a year-long legal battle over election control via a 3-1 vote, authorizing a $20 million agreement to end litigation.
- Heap sued the board in June 2025, alleging supervisors illegally usurped his authority over voter registration and early voting operations. The dispute escalated through months of litigation until a state Supreme Court decision last week sided with Heap.
- The board will fund a $15 million IT system and 24 new staff positions for Heap's office. Heap will oversee early voting and ballot drop box locations, while the board retains control over Election Day voting and ballot tabulation.
- Board Chairwoman Kate Brophy McGee said the deal "gets us out of the courtroom," while Supervisor Steve Gallardo, the lone dissenting vote, warned that Heap might put his "thumb on the scale" of county elections.
- The July 21 primary will proceed under an interim plan approved by the Arizona Supreme Court, with any disputes resolved by a court-appointed special master. The new agreement takes effect for the November general election.
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12 Articles
The Toronto Star+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
Top officials in Arizona’s Maricopa County agree on how to oversee elections, ending a legal battle
PHOENIX (AP) — Election officials in Arizona's most populous county reached an agreement this week on how to jointly oversee the vote, ending a prolonged legal battle.
·Toronto, Canada
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Maricopa County Ends Election Dispute With Recorder Justin Heap
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has approved a settlement with County Recorder Justin Heap, ending months of litigation over how election responsibilities should be divided ahead of future elections. The board voted 3-1 to approve the agreement, which assigns responsibility for early voting to the Recorder’s Office while leaving Election Day voting, emergency voting, ballot tabulation… Source
Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left5Leaning Right0Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution58% Center
Bias Distribution
- 58% of the sources are Center
58% Center
L 42%
C 58%
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