Maricopa Supervisors' Ballot Dumpster Fire

Summary: 2K+ "Lost" Ballot Affidavit Envelopes Unearthed in Friday Post-Election Chaos. Recorder Heap Exposes County Supervisors’ Power Grab Gone Wrong.

PHOENIX - Two bins of uncounted ballot affidavit envelopes were discovered in Maricopa County, Arizona, three days after Election Day, sparking confusion and public concern as county officials offered shifting explanations for where and when the ballots appeared. While county Board leaders say the ballots remained secure, the conflicting stories about their origin have left the situation unresolved and drawn renewed attention to election oversight.

What Happened

• On the Friday after Election Day, county election workers found two sealed bins holding 2,288 ballot affidavit envelopes during equipment inspections—three days after polls closed.​

• The County Board Elections department initially told the media these ballots were "placed in a drop box instead of returning them Tuesday night." Later, they stated that they came from a West Valley drop box and were delivered to Maricopa County's downtown Phoenix facility, called MCTEC, on Election Night.​

• Recorder Justin Heap, in his interview with Garret Lewis, stated that the County Board election staff informed his Office that they came from a ballot replacement site in Fountain Hills, were left unattended, and not delivered to MCTEC until Friday. He said the Board changed its story throughout the day.

• County spokespeople and supervisors have given varying explanations in public statements and on social media, prompting questions about the true origin and chain of custody for the ballots.​

Why the Confusion Matters

• According to statute, in Maricopa County's all-mail election, the County Recorder is the primary authority on election administration except tabulation-related processes. However, the Board of Supervisors seized responsibility for collecting mail ballots, managing drop boxes, and maintaining the chain of custody without the authorization or consent of Recorder Justin Heap. There is an ongoing legal dispute regarding roles and responsibilities.

• When two bins of ballots apparently went uncollected until days after the election, trust in the county's ballot tracking and safeguarding processes was shaken.

• With officials offering different accounts, voters and advocates are left unsure about when, where, and how these ballots were missed and eventually recovered.

  
  

• The lack of a consistent, transparent explanation highlights tensions within county government and once again raises concerns about oversight for future elections.​

• Voters with affidavit signatures that required curing were given only two hours to confirm their signatures before the statutory deadline.

The discovery of missing ballot bins comes after criticism of Maricopa County Elections taking an extended amount of time to finish counting all ballots.

Public Outrage Sparks Reaction from County Electeds

After discovery, bipartisan teams took the ballots for signature verification, and most were expected to be counted, except for those that could not be verified by the statutory 5 pm Friday deadline.​

Supervisor Debbie Lesko stated:

"When it comes to elections we need to be on our game at all times."

Supervisor Mark Stewart stated he was told:

"During the final sweep, which is part of our normal policy, staff found the two sealed ballot boxes inside that stored drop box. The tamper seals were intact, the surveillance video confirms no interference, and the ballots were secure at MecTec the entire time. I have requested the video evidence myself to verify that."

However, critics and local leaders have called for a public inquiry, full transparency, and the restoration of divided roles between county offices to ensure such mistakes can't happen again and are explained honestly.

Senator Jake Hoffman quipped back at Supervisor Lesko:

"The Supervisors must end their lawfare NOW before more voters are disenfranchised or inconvenienced. This foolishness has gone on way too long."

Turning Point COO, Tyler Bowyer, called it the "biggest disaster of extreme incompetence" since the 2022 machine breakdown debacle, calling on the Board of Supervisors to replace County Board Election Day Director Scott Jarrett.

Reporter Christy Kelly from The State 48 News identified that the Board of Supervisors had previously used a new tactic of attacking Recorder Heap in taxpayer-funded text messages, but now failed to inform voters of the error on their part with the discovery of uncounted ballots.

Why DO elections in Maricopa County remain chaotic?

This latest incident of lost ballot bins underscores the importance of clear government roles, transparent ballot handling with full chain of custody, and consistent public messaging—especially when public trust in the system is already under strain.

Distribution & Shift of Election Responsibilities in Maricopa County over time versus the delegation of duties in the Arizona Statutes.

After now-Recorder Justin Heap won the Republican Primary last year, public records show now-Board Chairman Thomas Galvin pushed through a scheme to revise the Shared Services Agreement with the outgoing Recorder Stephen Richer to seize a majority of the responsibility, staff, budget, resources, and servers from the Recorder's Office. The newly elected Board Supervisors continued to vote with Chairman Galvin nearly unanimously against the Recorder and the statutory delegation of duties. The dispute is in ongoing litigation.

The duties impacted in this incident belong to the Recorder by statute, but the County Board has insisted on keeping a stranglehold on the duties.

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen and Speaker Steve Montenegro recently filed an amici brief in support of the current division of duties outlined in Arizona statutes, as covered by AZ Free News. A recurring theme from voter reactions on X is that if Recorder Heap were at the helm, the missing ballot bins debacle could have been avoided, given his fresh approach to improving election procedures.

Senate Republicans X account previously posted:

"Senate President @votewarren filed a brief in Heap v. Galvin making it clear: only the Legislature sets election duties, and they must be carried out by the officials elected for the job."

Election integrity expert Merissa Hamilton, and Chairwoman of EZcivics.org and EZAZ.org, ​pointed out that the incident highlights a breakdown in supply chain processes by the County Board.

Recorder Heap posted a message after the close of the day, backing the concerns of the voters and adding levity to the attacks by the Board of Supervisors to distract from the chain of custody breakdown:

"It's been a very busy day for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. Today, the Board discovered they had lost thousands of ballots, then dropped the problem on the Recorder to fix," he stated. "Here's the real story: The Maricopa Board of Supervisors made yet another election mistake, which has further damaged public trust in our elections. …All those political gymnastics today must have been exhausting for the Supervisors."

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