Election officials in Arizona’s most populous county, Maricopa County, have reached an agreement on how to jointly oversee the vote, ending a prolonged legal battle. Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap had sued the predominantly GOP board of supervisors in June 2025, alleging it illegally took control of certain aspects of election administration.

Settlement Details

The board called the lawsuit frivolous and said Heap was wasting taxpayer money. However, after mediated negotiations, they reached a settlement to resolve the lawsuit, which the board approved. Under the agreement, an interim plan proposed by Heap’s attorney and approved by the Arizona Supreme Court will govern the July 21 primary.

Heap will largely oversee early voting, selection of ballot drop box locations, and other duties. The board will handle other areas, including Election Day voting, ballot tabulation, and voting location equipment maintenance. The board will also fund a $15 million information technology system and related positions.

Heap was backed in the lawsuit by America First Legal, a conservative public interest group founded by Stephen Miller, a deputy chief of staff in the White House. Heap had claimed the board transferred funding, IT staff, and some key functions away from his office through an agreement negotiated with his predecessor.

Supervisor Steve Gallardo, a Democrat, did not vote to approve the settlement and criticized Heap during the board meeting. “Honestly, I don’t think he wants to have an election that is conducted transparent or even an election that’s not compromised,” Gallardo said. “Now, with this, he owns it.”

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.