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 that exposed how much control sits in the hands of a few county officials. Republican Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap sued the predominantly GOP board of supervisors in June 2025, alleging it illegally took control of certain aspects of election administration. The board called the lawsuit frivolous and said Heap was wasting taxpayer money. Ordinary people get the bill either way.
The two sides reached a settlement this week after mediated negotiations, and the board approved it. Board Chair Kate Brophy McGee said after Tuesday’s vote, “This deal gets us out of the courtroom. I’m sick of drama. We are done with being on the front page going forward.” Heap said his objective was simple: to ensure his office’s statutory responsibilities are carried out lawfully. In a statement jointly released with the board, he said, “I am pleased we have reached an agreement that, when implemented, will restore those responsibilities and establish a clear framework for administering elections moving forward.”
Who Holds the Machinery
Under the agreement, an interim plan proposed by Heap and approved by the Arizona Supreme Court will govern the July 21 primary. Early voting began in late June. Heap will oversee much of early voting, selection of ballot drop box locations and other duties. The board will handle other areas, including Election Day voting, ballot tabulation and voting location equipment maintenance. The board also will fund a new $15 million information technology system and related positions for the recorder. The apparatus keeps expanding, and the price tag lands on the public.
Heap was backed in the lawsuit by America First Legal, a conservative public interest group founded by Stephen Miller, a deputy chief of staff in the White House. Heap had claimed the board transferred funding, IT staff and some key functions, including management of drop boxes and establishment of early voting sites, away from his office through an agreement negotiated with his predecessor. Heap defeated incumbent recorder Stephen Richer in a GOP primary and won the 2024 general election. The ballot box changed the face at the top. The structure stayed.
What They Call Oversight
The two were at odds over election administration in Maricopa County. In the past, Heap has stopped short of repeating false claims that the 2020 and 2022 elections were stolen. But he has said voters don’t trust the state’s voting system and that it is poorly run. Richer, also a Republican, relentlessly defended the legitimacy of the vote. That’s the ritual: one faction says the system needs tighter control, another says the system is legitimate, and the public is left to trust a machine they don’t run.
Supervisor Steve Gallardo, a Democrat, did not vote to approve the settlement and criticized Heap during Tuesday’s board meeting. Gallardo said, “Honestly, I don’t think he wants to have an election that is conducted transparent or even an election that’s not compromised. Now, with this, he owns it.” His words cut through the polished language of mediation and framework-building. The county’s election machinery remains in the hands of officials, lawyers, and a court-approved plan, while the people whose votes are being managed stay outside the room.
The settlement ends the courtroom fight, at least for now. It doesn’t change who gets to decide how elections are run, who funds the system, or who gets blamed when the machinery breaks down. The county board, the recorder, the Arizona Supreme Court, and a White House-linked legal group all had a hand in the outcome. The rest of Maricopa County gets the consequences.