junio 11, 2026

RECORDER HEAP RESPONDS TO SUPERVISORS’ LIES REGARDING RECORDER'S OFFICE EMPLOYEES 

PHOENIX, AZ – In recent days, members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors have made a series of public statements regarding Recorder's Office employees and equipment owned by the Recorder's Office. Those statements are contradicted by the facts, refuted by the available evidence, and appear designed to manufacture a political controversy where none exists in an attempt to inappropriately influence pending court proceedings. 

The public deserves an accurate account of what actually occurred. 

The Board Sat on These Baseless Allegations for More Than Three Months 

The incident involving the envelope scanner at issue occurred in early March 2026. 

Despite now feigning shock and outrage, the Board took no public action at the time and allowed more than three months to pass before launching a public campaign against Recorder's Office employees. The timing is impossible to ignore. These accusations surfaced only after the Board suffered a string of embarrassing defeats in court, faces pending contempt proceedings, and continues seeking relief from appellate courts from orders requiring it to comply with Arizona law. 

If the Board genuinely believed election security had been compromised, it is impossible to explain why it remained silent for months. 

The Scanner Belongs to the Recorder's Office 

The scanner at issue was purchased entirely with Recorder's Office funds through the Recorder's Early Voting budget. 

The Recorder's Office has provided purchase orders, invoices, payment records, and county asset documentation establishing ownership. No documentation exists showing the scanner was ever transferred to the Elections Department. The Board has repeatedly asserted ownership while failing to produce a single document demonstrating that ownership was ever transferred. 

The facts are straightforward: the scanner was purchased by the Recorder's Office and remains Recorder's Office property. 

The Scanner Was in Storage Inside Recorder's Office Areas 

Contrary to public insinuations that critical election equipment was removed from active operations, the scanner was not in use in March 2026. 

The equipment was being stored in the Early Voting Room adjacent to the Signature Verification Room. Both locations are Recorder's Office workspace within MCTEC and are regularly used by Recorder personnel in the administration of Early Voting functions. 

The Claim That "Live Ballots" Were Removed Is False 

Perhaps the most inflammatory accusation made by Board members is the claim that Recorder employees removed "live ballots" from MCTEC. 

That assertion is contradicted by the Board's own report. 

The facts are simple. The Recorder's Early Voting team provided my employee with three provisional affidavit envelopes from the Recorder’s secured cage. These envelopes were from provisional ballots which had previously been rejected and voided. The employee made a photocopy of the barcodes on the voided envelopes (so we could test the scanner's ability to read and sort affidavit envelopes) using the Recorder's photocopier in MCTEC. He then returned the rejected affidavit envelopes to the Early Voting staff, who re-secured them inside the Recorder's cage. 

No ballots were ever removed from MCTEC. The voided envelopes never left the custody of Recorder personnel. No votes were ever impacted. Every employee involved is prepared to attest to these facts. 

The Board's claim that "live ballots" were removed is unsupported by the evidence and appears designed to generate public alarm rather than provide the public with accurate information. 

The Board's Scanner Narrative Is Equally Meritless 

The Board has also claimed it was forced to purchase a new scanner because Recorder personnel somehow compromised existing equipment. 

That claim is as implausible as it is unsupported by the facts. 

The evidence instead shows that once Elections Department leadership became aware that the scanner was a Recorder-owned asset and could not produce documentation establishing Elections Department ownership, a request was made to purchase an additional scanner for the Elections Department. 

The Board's attempt to transform an ownership dispute into an election security scandal collapses under even minimal scrutiny. 

The Board Has Weaponized Government Against Innocent Election Workers 

The most troubling aspect of this episode is not the scanner itself. It is the Board's decision to publicly target career public servants who have committed no wrongdoing and have not been charged with any crime. 

In an apparent effort to manufacture the appearance of scandal on the eve of an election, members of the Board have leveled a barrage of public accusations against employees who have no meaningful ability to defend themselves in the political arena. These are professional election administrators, not political figures. 

The employees targeted by these attacks are appropriately evaluating all available legal options to protect their reputations from false and defamatory public statements. 

Statement from Recorder Heap 

"This office has spent the last year defending itself against political attacks, misinformation, and efforts to undermine the authority Arizona law assigns to the Recorder," said Recorder Heap. "As the elected official, I understand that criticism comes with the job. If members of the Board want to attack someone, they should attack me." 

"What I will not tolerate is the continued targeting of hardworking public servants who have dedicated their careers to serving Maricopa County. These employees are not politicians. They do not hold press conferences. They do not issue public statements. They simply come to work every day and perform the responsibilities entrusted to them by the public." 

"I have lost confidence in the Board's Integrity, its willingness to follow the law, and its ability to engage in good-faith cooperation. But even after everything that has occurred, I remain stunned by a Board willing to threaten, slander, and publicly attack county employees who have no meaningful ability to defend themselves." 

"If the Board wants to continue this losing political battle, it should have the courage to have that fight with me, not with the career public servants who work for this office." 

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Media Contact:
Judy Keane
[email protected]