Three Republicans running for Maricopa County recorder will face off in a Monday debate that is likely to center on election administration and the rise of voting conspiracies in recent years.
The discussion is organized by the Arizona Clean Elections Commission and will be broadcast live.
County recorders are statutorily tasked with managing public records, such as property documents. But the seat is best known for the tremendous power it holds over voter registration and early voting.
In Maricopa County, the pivotal position is headed for a three-way primary showdown. State lawmaker Justin Heap and information technology professional Don Hiatt are both challenging incumbent Stephen Richer for the Republican nomination. All are running on platforms of election integrity — but in practice, their plans look very different.
Richer, elected in 2020, touts his efforts to clean voter rolls and improve chain of custody documentation during his time in office. Along the way, he’s established himself as a staunch defender of the county’s elections and has pushed back on voting conspiracies and misinformation. He says he’s also made improvements on the non-elections side of the house, unveiling a free service to fight title fraud last year and improving customer service.
Heap and Hiatt both voice issues with county elections. Heap, who has previously supported legislation to remove Arizona from a multistate voter registration list maintenance effort, pledges to clean voter rolls. He also promises faster election results, although his campaign website doesn’t specify how he would accomplish that within the framework of existing state law.
Hiatt also commits to cleaning voter rolls and says he would publicly release election-related data, including detailed logs from machines that tally votes. Heap’s campaign website mentions nothing about the recorder’s non-election duties. Hiatt says he would streamline processes for records management.
Whoever wins out will face Democrat Tim Stringham, an attorney and a Navy Reserve officer, in the general election. That race is also expected to focus on the future of democracy in Arizona.
Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Republican Maricopa County recorder candidates to face off in debate
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