Hey, Arizona!

The news has come hot and heavy since the last edition of this newsletter — and much of it revolves around Maricopa County.

There, top elected officials appear to be at war yet again. The most recent flareup in the longstanding fight between Recorder Justin Heap and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors started earlier this month, when staffers in the recorder’s office received a report that purported suspicious activity had occurred inside the tabulation room at the county’s election headquarters.

The concerns came from We The People Arizona Alliance, a local conservative group that has previously made false claims about the county’s elections. It had posted a video on social media showing two employees — one with her toddler — in the tabulation room late at night, suggesting that the employees had been “BUSTED” doing something they weren’t supposed to do.

So the recorder’s office called the FBI, which subsequently looked into the matter and found nothing suspicious.

“No information was developed indicating that the employees were unauthorized to be present in the facility or engaged in activities outside the scope of their official responsibilities,” investigators wrote in a report, which was first scooped by 12News.

A spokesperson for the recorder’s office defended staffers’ decision to invite the FBI to investigate.

“Suspicious activity occurring within logic and accuracy tested facilities late at night should always be investigated by those with the power to do so,” the spokesperson told 12News. “Any notion that it shouldn’t is irresponsible and fails to maintain the highest of standards for Arizona elections.”

But some have noted that staffers probably could’ve just called the county’s elections department to ask what was going on. Or, if they wanted an investigation, they could’ve tried to refer the matter to state or local detectives.

Instead, the recorder’s office chose the nuclear option — and as you might imagine, the supervisors weren’t pleased. In the week since the story broke, they’ve gone back and forth with Heap and some of his top staffers on social media.

It might be tempting to dismiss county officials’ social media sniping. But Election Day is right around the corner. That sparks a few concerns. What if the fighting leads to misinformation around imagined problems during voting or the counting process? What if a real issue actually does arise, but it’s blown out of proportion or met with finger-pointing rather than solutions? And what if all of this feuding disincentivizes the elections department and the recorder’s office to communicate, leading to an election breakdown?

I recently tracked down Supervisor Kate Brophy McGee, who currently chairs the board, to ask her about those possibilities. She told me things had “gotten very political,” but said staff were still “getting things done.”

“My continued goal is to get the politicians out of the way and let our staffs work together,” she said.

Still, she acknowledged that it’s easy for misinformation to spread amid the infighting.

“You see the worst and the best of people,” she said, adding that this wasn’t her “first rodeo.”

So I’ll be watching Maricopa County’s elected officials in the coming weeks. I’ll be keeping an eye on the rest of the state, too. Here’s some things I’m monitoring heading into the election:

In Mohave County, I’ll be curious about how vote counting goes with a new type of ballot paper. It worked in the state primary, but the general election will be the real test.
In Apache County, I’m still watching how the shift from precinct-based polling places to vote centers plays out. Expect to read more from me on this corner of the state soon.
In Cochise County, I’m keeping tabs on supervisors’ continued doubts around the accreditation status of their tabulators — the same doubts that prompted two of them to delay certification of the vote in 2022.
Statewide, I’m waiting to see whether the popularity in the primary of a new voting option designed to speed up counting holds among general election voters.
In terms of races, I’ll be eagerly awaiting results for the secretary of state’s race and Prop. 144, a measure that would require voters to show ID to cast a mail ballot. I’ll also keep a peripheral eye on the gubernatorial contest, attorney general’s race, and legislative matchups.
I’m keeping tabs on the federal government, too.

That’s it for this week — but I’ll be back in your inbox soon. Tell a friend to sign up here so they don’t miss out.

In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know to vote. And, if you stumble across a voting-related issue, let me know! You can reach me anytime at [email protected].

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On the Lighter Side

In Arizona, campaign signs are a common sight during election years. But this time around, things are getting a little bit … hyperlocally funky.

In Mesa, Turning Point PAC has bright-yellow signs reading “¡Estoy con Andy!” on nearly every major street corner.

In Scottsdale, an all-out sign war appears to be underway among city council candidates, with signs attacking other signs.

And in Phoenix, I’ve recently observed a proliferation of some very odd campaign signs railing against Prop. 144. The signs refer to the measure as a “trap,” referencing Admiral Gial Ackbar’s line in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.

A sign opposing Prop. 144, a statewide ballot measure that would require voters to show ID to cast their ballot by mail, sits on a street corner in Phoenix. The attention-grabbing signs reference Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi. (Sasha Hupka / Votebeat)

I’m not into Star Wars, so I didn’t initially get the joke. After consulting the internet, I became honestly curious about whether the sign would resonate with most voters or go over their heads. So, I started a Nextdoor poll to discuss the matter with my neighbors.

Unfortunately, folks didn’t behave themselves in the comments section, so my post was shut down fairly quickly. Still, I gathered about 150 responses.

The verdict? 58% of respondents told me they got the reference. The remaining 42% — a pretty large swath — were, like me, bemused.

It’s getting hard to see around street corners in my neck of the desert, so I’m pretty ready for everyone’s campaign signs to come down, regardless of how wacky they might be. But we’ve got a major election to get through first. So may the Force be with all of us. ✨

How to prepare for the midterms

Elections in the United States don’t only happen on Election Day. They happen in the weeks ahead as election officials process voter registrations, mail absentee ballots and administer early voting.

So, how is mail voting going across the country? Or early voting at the polls? And what should Americans know about potential federal interference ahead of Election Day? Check in with election experts at Votebeat’s virtual event on Oct. 27 at 12 p.m. ET.

Attend for free!