October 23, 2026

RECORDER HEAP: FOUR-WEEK DPOC DISPUTE RESOLVED AFTER CITIZENSHIP DOCUMENTATION PRESENTED TO COURT, AG DISMISSES COMPLAINT

PHOENIX, Arizona —  Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap announced today the resolution of Attorney General Kris Mayes' lawsuit concerning 24 voters placed in pending Documentary Proof of Citizenship (DPOC) status. The resolution follows four weeks of requests for legally sufficient citizenship verification from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.

Throughout the dispute, Recorder Heap maintained that his office would immediately restore the voters upon receiving verification sufficient to satisfy Arizona law.

During court-ordered mediation, the Attorney General agreed to present the citizenship documentation to the Court rather than directly to the Recorder. After reviewing the records, the Court issued a minute entry affirming their sufficiency, providing the official verification needed by the Recorder’s office to restore the voters.

All 24 voters have now been restored to active status, ballots have been issued to those on the Active Early Voting List (AEVL), and the Attorney General has agreed to dismiss her complaint.

“This entire dispute could have been resolved weeks ago with the very verification ultimately presented to the Court,” said Recorder Heap. “Our position never changed. We needed legally sufficient documentation of citizenship, we received it, and we immediately restored the voters. Our office fulfilled its duty to protect eligible voters while upholding Arizona law.”

“I want to thank Judge Christopher T. Whitten for his professionalism and effectiveness in resolving this matter and obtaining, in a matter of hours, the verification we had been seeking from County Attorney Rachel Mitchell's office for four weeks.”

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Media Contact:
Judy Keane
[email protected]