Highlights
- Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap disputed ACLU allegations that poll workers improperly demanded voter ID from mail-in ballot voters.
- A special prosecutor appointed by County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is investigating whether Heap's staff illegally removed a scanner from the vote tabulation center in March.
- Heap's office regained control of early voting 80 days before the Nov. 3, 2026 general election under a new power-sharing agreement with the county Elections Department.
- Maricopa County mailed approximately 1.9 million ballots to open early voting, though vendor Runbeck Election Services mistakenly sent 3,126 ballots early without authorization.
Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap appeared on FOX 10 Talks on Oct. 29, 2026, to contest ACLU allegations that poll workers under his supervision improperly demanded photo identification from voters casting mail-in ballots, and to address a special-prosecutor investigation into his office's conduct during a March election.
The ACLU dispute centers on guidance Heap's office issued to poll workers ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026 general election. The ACLU has alleged that workers improperly demanded voter ID in ways that conflict with Arizona law; Heap has publicly condemned what he called a baseless attack on election workers, according to a statement posted to the Recorder's website.
The voter ID clash is one of two active fronts for Heap. Special prosecutor Kent Volkmer, the former Pinal County Attorney, was appointed by County Attorney Rachel Mitchell in April to investigate whether employees from Heap's office illegally removed a scanner from the Maricopa County vote tabulation center on March 12, during the tallying of results from the March 10 Tempe City Council election. Board of Supervisors members Kate Brophy McGee and Debbie Lesko said security cameras captured workers loading the scanner into an unmarked pickup truck. Heap has said his employees were attempting to retrieve a scanner that belonged to his office and was never lawfully transferred to the county Elections Department, according to Votebeat's reporting on the investigation.
The tensions with the Board of Supervisors are structural as well as episodic. Heap's office regained control of early voting responsibilities 80 days before this election, following a years-long legal dispute, under a new power-sharing arrangement in which his office manages early voting and the county Elections Department handles Election Day operations. Maricopa County mailed approximately 1.9 million ballots to open the early voting period. Separately, vendor Runbeck Election Services mistakenly mailed 3,126 early ballots without authorization nearly a week ahead of schedule, according to FOX 10's earlier coverage of the early-vote launch.
What is the ACLU's dispute with Heap about?
The ACLU alleges that Maricopa County poll workers, operating under Heap's guidance, improperly demanded photo identification from voters submitting mail-in ballots, a practice the organization says violates Arizona law. Heap has rejected the characterization, calling it a baseless attack, and the dispute has drawn coverage from KTAR and the Tucson outlet as Election Day approaches.
The Volkmer investigation is ongoing. Election Day in Arizona is Nov. 3, 2026.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- Fox 10 Phoenix retrieved 29/10/2026 23:41
- Maricopa County Recorder retrieved 29/10/2026 23:41
- votebeat.org retrieved 29/10/2026 23:41
- Fox 10 Phoenix retrieved 29/10/2026 23:41
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 29/10/2026 23:41. Every claim traces to a source.
