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Hey, Arizona!

You may have heard about the ongoing dispute over election control in Maricopa County — and, like me, you may be tired of all the news around it.

But as the primary election draws near, the long-standing disagreement between top county election officials is becoming an increasingly important and combative storyline that’s worth your attention.

In the latest twist of the feud, a special prosecutor is looking into whether employees in the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office broke the law by removing a scanner and provisional ballot envelopes from the county’s vote tabulation headquarters amid a local election earlier this year.

The news came out when Recorder Justin Heap, a Republican, filed a document in court demanding possession of the scanner, which he said belongs to his office — a claim that the county’s mostly-GOP board of supervisors disputed. He also requested a court order barring any criminal prosecution of his employees related to the incident.

As of right now, there’s no resolution to the situation. The court hasn’t responded to Heap’s motion, and the special prosecutor — former Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer — has yet to release any findings or recommend charges, although he told me earlier this week that his investigation is in the process of “wrapping up.”

But as of this morning, we have video footage that sheds some light on exactly what happened.

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The first clip shows two people — one of whom appears to be Bryan Colby, the chief information officer at the recorder’s office — entering a room at the county election center and removing a scanner on a cart.

Another clip shows the pair rolling the scanner down a ramp just outside of the building.

Finally, the third shows the two loading the scanner into a pickup truck, returning the cart, and driving away.

Records show human resources investigators recommended, based in part on those clips, that the recorder’s office further examine the employees’ conduct. They also suggested that a “potential referral to law enforcement” may be appropriate.

The recorder’s office declined to participate in the human resources investigation.

That’s it for today, but I highly recommend checking out my story for full details of the incident and the continuing dispute between county election officials.

I’ll be back in your inbox soon. Tell a friend to sign up here so they don’t miss out.

In the meantime, let me know what you think of this county infighting. You can reach me anytime at [email protected].

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On the Lighter Side

The GOP clobbered Democrats at yesterday’s Congressional Baseball Game, winning by a final score of 11-2.

The annual event, which raises money for charity, featured Arizonans on both sides. Rep. Greg Stanton and Sen. Ruben Gallego played for the Democrats, and Rep. Juan Ciscomani claimed victory with the Republicans.

Nathaniel Rakich, our managing editor, was watching from the sidelines. He reports that none of our state’s congressmembers did anything particularly notable on the field — so perhaps we should consider electing better athletes.

Nonetheless, all of them dressed well for the event. Check out their uniforms below!

The Big Story

Special prosecutor investigating latest election-control disagreement in Maricopa County

Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap wants to halt Kent Volkmer’s investigation after workers allegedly took a scanner claimed by the Board of Supervisors.