MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has set a Feb. 27 deadline for the county recorder to indicate whether he will partner with Maricopa County Elections to provide in-person early voting in 2026. The board said the decision will have a big impact on voters, candidates and ballot measures.

In a joint statement, Chair Kate Brophy McGee and Vice Chair Debbie Lesko said they sent a letter to Recorder Heap about in-person early voting now that his office oversees that function.

“Today we sent a letter to Recorder Heap about in-person early voting now that his office oversees that important function. Big decisions need to be made in short order to ensure that sufficient voting locations, staff, and equipment are available for the July Primary Election. Failure to act now could have a detrimental impact on voters.

In the letter, we indicated our strong preference that Mr. Heap provide the same level of service that Maricopa County voters have come to expect in past years, when the Board oversaw in-person early voting. That means a large number of sites spread out evenly and fairly across our county during the 27 days of early voting, as outlined by statute.

We asked Mr. Heap whether he would like to collaborate with the Board’s Elections Department which is staffed, resourced, and experienced in this area. This letter follows Mr. Heap’s claim in court that he is willing to cooperate on logistical issues, and a staff-level message on Monday detailing the key decisions that must be made. We’ve given Recorder Heap until Friday to respond so that we can meet statutory deadlines.

Should the Recorder choose not to respond, the Board will assume he is able to manage in-person early voting without our help.”

The board gave Recorder Heap until Friday to respond to meet statutory deadlines. If he does not respond, the board will assume he is able to manage in-person early voting without their help.