The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors convened in special session to canvass the returns for the July 21, 2026 Primary Election.
All five supervisors were present in person.
The meeting was singularly focused on election certification, featuring joint presentations from the Elections Department (reporting to the Board) and the Recorder’s Office (an independently elected office).
The canvass was unanimously approved 5-0.
This meeting marked a notable shift in inter-office dynamics: Recorder Justin Heap was invited by Chair Brophy McGee to participate directly in the canvass process—a departure from past tensions between the two election offices.
Board Attendance
| District | Supervisor | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Kate Brophy McGee (Chair) | Present |
| 4 | Debbie Lesko (Vice Chair) | Present |
| 1 | Mark Stewart | Present |
| 2 | Thomas Galvin | Present |
| 5 | Steve Gallardo | Present |
Also Present: Juanita Garza (Clerk), Mia Vargas (Minutes, remote), Jen Pokorski (County Manager), Brooke Worcester (Legal Counsel)
Agenda Item: Canvass of July 21, 2026 Primary Election
Overview
The sole agenda item was the statutorily required canvass of the July 21, 2026 Primary Election returns.
This is the Board’s constitutional responsibility—no other entity in Arizona can certify county election results.
Presenters
- Scott Jarrett — Maricopa County Elections Director
- Zach Shira — Elections Department staff
- Justin Heap — Maricopa County Recorder (invited participant)
- Michael Valenzuela — Recorder’s Office staff
- Eric Mason — Recorder’s Office staff
Election Results at a Glance
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Ballots Cast | 677,387 |
| Turnout | 26.7% |
| Vote Centers | 236 (1 fell out due to church break-in) |
| Poll Workers | ~2,900 |
| County Employee Support | 500+ |
| Results Posted Within 27 Hours | 99.6% |
Turnout by Party
| Party | Turnout Rate | Historical Context |
|---|---|---|
| Republican | 36.6% | Down from 49.4% (2022) |
| Democrat | 37.3% | Down from 40.2% (2022) |
| Independent / PND | 10.7% | Down from 17.2% (2022) |
Processing Statistics
- Early Ballots Mailed: 1,420,563
- Early Ballots Returned: 591,900
- New ID-Check Process Users: 23,400 (first election with this option)
- Election Day In-Person Check-ins: 61,867
- Signature Verification Completed: ~577,000
- Bad Signatures Rejected: 2,117
- No Signatures Rejected: 763
- Total Rejected: 2,881 (in line with national average)
- Provisional Ballots: 942 total (220 accepted, 722 not accepted)
Key Developments
1. Record-Breaking Results Speed
The Elections Department achieved its fastest results reporting ever: 99.6% of results posted within 27 hours of polls closing. For context, the historical average for final results has been 8 days. The 2024 presidential cycle managed 6 days. This primary shaved that to just over one day.
What drove the improvement:
- New state law allowing voters to bring early ballots to vote centers, show ID, and have ballots tabulated on-site (23,400 voters used this)
- Double shifts in both the Elections Department and Recorder’s Office
- The Board having funded additional shifts in the FY2026-27 budget
- Tighter coordination between Elections and Recorder’s Office
Supervisor Gallardo noted: “Steven Richards and Adrian Fontes were right. We needed additional shifts… we saw it as proof in the pudding.”
2. Recorder Heap’s Participation
Chair Brophy McGee invited Recorder Justin Heap to present at the canvass—a significant development given past friction between the independently elected Recorder and the Board-controlled Elections Department. Supervisor Galvin described the relationship as an “arranged marriage” requiring mutual respect.
Heap’s office presented signature verification data and addressed two stolen-mail incidents transparently. The cooperative tone was remarked upon by multiple supervisors.
3. Stolen Mail Incidents
Two incidents involving stolen election mail were disclosed:
Incident 1 (earlier in July):
- 3 yellow affidavit envelopes (outgoing mail, not yet voted) stolen as part of a broader mail theft case
- USPS Inspector General investigated
- Envelopes recovered, voided, new ballots reissued to affected voters
Incident 2 (election day morning):
- Individual arrested stealing mail from a USPS dropbox (not a county dropbox)
- 3 green voted envelopes recovered from suspect’s vehicle
- Inspector General examined—all still sealed, no tampering
- Signatures verified, votes counted
- No voters disenfranchised
Both incidents were included in a revised addendum to the official canvass statement.
4. Hila Bend Recount
A tied town council race in Hila Bend (4th and 5th place both at 67 votes) triggered an automatic recount. The town submitted court filing paperwork; recount expected to begin August 4. If the tie persists after recount, town charter specifies a draw by lot.
5. Looking Ahead to General Election
- Expected turnout: 65% (roughly 3x primary turnout)
- Ballot: Two pages anticipated, 11-13 contests
- Vote centers: 252-253 planned (up from 236)
- Mega sites: Reintroducing large-scale locations with up to 72 voting booths
- New equipment: Four-person voting booths purchased with HAVA funds
- Signature verification tables: Expanding from 30 to 55
- Night shifts: Planned before and after election day
- Ballot printing deadline: August 20
- Military/overseas ballots mailed: September 19
- Voter registration deadline: October 5
Board Discussion Analysis
Supervisor Galvin’s Intervention
Galvin delivered the most substantive commentary, framing the election process in constitutional terms:
“The board of supervisors have the responsibility to canvas the elections. No one else does. Not the legislature, not the recorders office, not other county electeds… the buck stops with us.”
He also contextualized the low turnout, noting this was the first cycle since 2014 without a U.S. Senate race in Arizona—a state where Senate races traditionally draw national attention and drive participation.
Supervisor Gallardo’s Advocacy
Gallardo pushed back against accepting “national average” as a benchmark:
“One voter denied or one voter disenfranchised is one voter too many. I believe our benchmark should be not one voter disenfranchised.”
He advocated for expanded staffing, additional shifts, and continued process innovation.
Supervisor Stewart’s Process Focus
Stewart asked detailed operational questions about the new ID-check process, focus group findings with poll workers, and wait time projections for the general election’s two-page ballot. He also supported chain-of-custody tracking improvements, including a real-time dashboard that experienced hiccups on election night.
Supervisor Lesko’s Accountability Questions
Lesko asked about double-shift funding sources (confirmed: budgeted in FY2026-27) and pressed for details on the real-time tracking dashboard issues. She also requested and received party-by-party turnout breakdowns.
Chair Brophy McGee’s Closing
Brophy McGee emphasized staff-level cooperation:
“I have said all along this past year that our staffs are working together. No matter what the electeds are doing, our staffs are working together.”
Vote Record
| Motion | Moved By | Seconded By | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approve canvass of July 21, 2026 Primary Election returns, including revised addendum | Debbie Lesko | Mark Stewart | 5-0 Unanimous |
Vote Breakdown:
- Mark Stewart: Yea
- Thomas Galvin: Yea
- Debbie Lesko: Yea
- Steve Gallardo: Yea
- Kate Brophy McGee: Yea
All five supervisors explained their votes—a level of engagement not always seen in routine consent items.
Pattern Observations
Motion Dynamics
Notable: Debbie Lesko made the motion, not Mark Stewart. In the current board’s pattern, Stewart typically dominates motion-making. This shift may reflect the ceremonial nature of canvass motions, or may indicate evolving board dynamics.
Inter-Office Cooperation
The joint Elections/Recorder presentation, with Heap invited by Brophy McGee, represents a departure from past practice where the two offices sometimes operated at arm’s length. Supervisor Galvin’s “arranged marriage” framing acknowledged the structural tension while emphasizing the need for functional cooperation.
Transparency on Incidents
The stolen-mail incidents were disclosed proactively, with detailed explanations of chain-of-custody protections. Both incidents were included in the official canvass addendum after legal review. This level of transparency contrasts with past election cycles where similar incidents might have surfaced through media reporting rather than official channels.
Red Flags
| Flag | Severity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Crash in Independent/PND Turnout | Medium | 10.7% vs 17.2% in 2022. Significant decline in non-partisan voter participation. |
| Two Stolen Mail Incidents | Low-Medium | Handled appropriately, but indicates ongoing vulnerability in ballot chain of custody through USPS. |
| Real-Time Tracking Dashboard Hiccups | Low | Secondary tracking system experienced issues; primary chain-of-custody remained intact. Vendor working on fixes. |
| Record-Low Primary Turnout | Medium | 26.7% lowest since 2014. Multiple factors cited, but trend warrants monitoring for general election. |
Citizen Takeaways
- The canvass was clean. No fraud allegations, no contested results, unanimous certification.
- Maricopa County’s election administration continues to improve. 99.6% results within 27 hours is genuinely impressive and reflects investments in process and staffing paying off.
- The Elections-Recorder relationship is functional, if still structurally awkward. Having both offices present jointly is positive. The “arranged marriage” analogy is apt—neither party chose the other, but the work must get done.
- Low turnout is the story of this primary. 26.7% participation means nearly three-quarters of registered voters sat it out. The collapse in independent/PND turnout (10.7%) is particularly striking in a county where non-affiliated voters are a growing bloc.
- The general election will be the real test. Three times the expected volume, two-page ballots, and the national spotlight that comes with Arizona being a swing state. The systems that worked well in a low-turnout primary face a much heavier workload in November.
