County officials respond to election workers controversy

(The Center Square) – The dust has yet to settle in Arizona’s largest county after a pair of Maricopa County employees were seen on camera in the late-night hours of Oct. 7 in what has become an election controversy.

The employees, who have not been named, were performing “authorized and necessary work to update software and upload election data to a computer terminal that is not connected to the internet or ballot tabulation equipment,” according to a press release from Board of Supervisors Chair Kate Brophy McGee and Vice Chair Debbie Lesko on Wednesday.  

The employees, who were seen at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix around 10:40 p.m., were not conducting work that involved the Election Management System or ballot tabulators officials use to count ballots, according to the release.  

Still, the whole situation has County Supervisor Mark Stewart shaking his head, with the former Chandler City Council at-large member telling The Center Square that everyone involved has to do better in the future.  

“The optics, as one of the leaders said, is horrendous,” Stewart told The Center Square, referring to state county and party leaders that he met with earlier on Wednesday.

“It's terrible optics, but we all understand that IT is done at all times of the night," Stewart said, referring to information technology. 

“I do agree with my colleagues that transparency and communication is the key to building trust," the supervisor said. "That's something that I've impressed upon my colleagues as well as others within the county since I joined, and I'll continue to share as much as I can about what's going on.” 

While neither McGee nor Lesko responded to requests for comment in time for this story, their release hammered home the importance of keeping faith in the county with just over two weeks to go until Election Day.  

"Election integrity is essential so voters can vote confidently,” McGee & Lesko’s joint statement reads. “Unfortunately, casting doubt on the system and misrepresenting the work of election workers has become an effective method to erode trust in elections. When this happens, the Board of Supervisors and our Elections Department believe transparent communication is our best defense.” 

Arizona first-term Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes was not available for comment, though Calli Jones, who serves as the director for communications in the Secretary of State's Office, thanked election workers for their work.  

“We respect the around-the-clock work our county election officials do to keep our democracy safe and secure," Jones said. "At this time, the Secretary of State’s Office urges voters to look to official, trusted sources of information and ignore misleading and unreliable online commentary about election procedures.  We are 20 days from the election, and we encourage all Arizona voters to visit Arizona.vote to make a plan to cast their ballot today.” 

The controversy is the latest one for Maricopa County and its elections.

County Recorder Justin Heap, who assumed the office in 2024 and is involved with elections, has been in conflict with the Board of Supervisors all year, as The Center Square previously reported.  

The two sides agreed to end their dispute in July, with Heap taking control of in-person early voting, including site selection, equipment and staffing. The board operates and supervises ballot tabulation as state law requires.  

Further, the two camps agreed in July to collaboratively oversee the county’s IT system until a new one is built, ending the sparring between the two sides just before Arizona’s primary elections on July 21.

Stewart told The Center Square that Maricopa County, the third largest voting jurisdiction in the U.S., is locked in and ready for prime time come Nov. 3.  

Still, the first-term supervisor said episodes like the camera incident only serve to further degrade the public’s trust in their elected officials, with the Chandler native hoping all sides can come together for the public good in the coming weeks.  

“I think voters need to know that, in spite of some of the political wrestling that's been going on, everybody's focused on success,” Stewart said.“And the recorder’s team and the elections team are working together diligently, and they're working together well.”