Maricopa County Splits Authority Over Early Voting Between Recorder and Board

A yearlong dispute in Maricopa County ends with a settlement that assigns the Recorder’s Office led by Justin Heap authority over early voting sites, drop boxes, voter registration and related processes, while the Board of Supervisors retains control of Election Day operations and ballot counting; the two offices will jointly handle ballots and oversee a new voter-registration system through 2029, with the Board funding site numbers and Heap choosing locations, and a bipartisan early-election-board structure preserved to prevent disruption ahead of the primary, subject to formal adoption by the courts.