Gage Skidmore/CC BY 2.0

Arizona state Rep. Justin Heap in 2023.

Freedom Caucus Republican Rep. Justin Heap announced he will primary Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer.

The county recorder is responsible for keeping track of a variety of documents like deeds and liens and also oversees voter registration and early voting. Heap, a freshman lawmaker, accused Richer of mismanaging his role in election administration.

“Maricopa County now has a long track record of election related issues,” Heap said. “Maricopa County is the laughing stock of our nation and the world.”

Heap also criticized Richer for running a political action committee that seeks to influence elections while also working as the recorder, and called signature verification for early ballots “questionable” to “non-existent.” That comment alludes to arguments made during Republican Kari Lake’s unsuccessful lawsuit that sought to overturn her loss to Gov. Katie Hobbs in Arizona’s 2022 gubernatorial election.

Lake’s attorneys argued the county did not properly verify signatures on early ballots, but a judge said they failed to prove the claim.

Sen. Jake Hoffman (R-Queen Creek), a Lake ally who was part of the slate of fake electors who sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election, said he recruited Heap to run for recorder.

While Heap has criticized Maricopa County’s election administration in past years, he declined to say that widespread election fraud played a role in Maricopa County’s election results in 2020 or 2022 — a position supported by many of the lawmakers who are supporting his candidacy, like Sen. Wendy Rogers (R-Flagstaff) and Sen. Anthony Kern (R-Glendale).

“I’m an attorney,” Heap said. “I will only make statements that I feel I can prove.”

But some of Heap’s other criticisms dealt with issues outside of the purview of the recorder’s office,  like long lines voters experienced at polling centers on Election Day in 2022 as the county dealt with ballot printer issues. 

Richer notes that’s overseen by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

“So if he wants to work on Election Day operations, he should run for the Board of Supervisors,” Richer said.

Richer said his office does retrieve early ballots dropped off on Election Day, but people do not have to wait in lines to drop off those ballots.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, is investigating the fake elector scheme in Arizona and said she is concerned about Heap’s candidacy.

“I do think it’s very, very concerning to see election deniers and people who seem to be aimed at one thing, and one thing only, which is suppressing the vote, running for critical offices like Maricopa County recorder,” Mayes said. “Ultimately, it’s the voters who are going to need to step up, and I believe will step up, and decide that election.”

But Heap said he believes a lack of trust in the county’s election officials is suppressing the vote, at least for Republican voters.

“And the issue we have is in the last election, 300,000 active Republican voters did not mail in their ballot and did not vote on Election Day,” Heap said. “We can discuss why that is, but to me that represents a monumental collapse in the trust.” 

Four other Republicans have already filed statements of interest to run in the recorder race, including Clair Van Steenwyk, who lost to Richer in the 2020 Republican primary.