Maricopa County Recorder Files Temporary Restraining Order to Protect Voter Registration Database

PHOENIX, AZ –The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office has filed a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to immediately stop the Board’s illegal attempt to access the voter registration database by an unauthorized third-party and its subcontractors. Under Arizona law, access, management, and control of the voter registration database are assigned exclusively to the County Recorder’s Office. (See A.R.S. §§ 16-151, 16-161 through 16-169.) Despite this clear statutory authority, the Recorder’s Office recently learned that the Board of Supervisors intended to give an unauthorized third-party IT staffing firm access to the voter registration database containing sensitive personal information for approximately 2.6 million registered voters. The Recorder’s Office was not consulted or notified prior to this engagement and did not authorize any third party to access or review the voter registration system. In response, the Recorder’s Office is seeking judicial intervention to protect the integrity and confidentiality of Maricopa County’s voter registration system and to ensure that all election-related technology decisions comply with state law. Recorder Heap issued the following brief statement: “This unilateral action by the Board of Supervisors violates Arizona law and undermines elections in Maricopa County,” said Recorder Heap. “My office will take all necessary legal steps to safeguard the voter registration system and uphold our statutory duty to protect voter information.”