No one under age 18 can vote in Arizona, but the state’s most populous county continues to rely on a gimmicky cartoon character as part of its voter education efforts, something that concerns some election advocacy groups.
The “Phil the Ballot” character is described as the spokesperson for the Maricopa County Elections Department’s Be Ballot Ready program approved by then-County Recorder Adrian Fontes. The character premiered during the 2020 election cycle and there is even a Phil the Ballot mascot whose costumes cost taxpayers nearly $10,000, according to AZ Free News.
Commit Agency, a Chandler-based marketing firm, was hired by the county in early 2019 to provide fully integrated marketing and advertising services in English and Spanish to help voters better understand the election process. At least one top county official had personal experience with Commit Agency before the services contract was signed.
Clint Hickman, the then-chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, is also Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Hickman’s Family Farms. The company hired Commit Agency in 2017 to rebrand its corporate image.
The result of Commit Agency’s work was the Be Ballot Ready campaign launched just weeks before the March 2020 Democratic Presidential Preference Election. Election officials also had the marketing firm address voter outreach challenges, many of which were brought on by COVID-19.
Phil the Ballot has been highlighted in various “how to” election related videos and other promotional literature, and Phil the Ballot themed “I voted” stickers are offered at several Maricopa County voting centers.
Yet despite the county’s insistence that Phil the Ballot has become “a beloved and well liked figure of Maricopa County elections,” some election watchers are concerned the character is too childish for use with something as serious as voting. A survey of other Arizona counties revealed no similar effort to attract voters by use of a cartoon character or mascots.
A Phil the Ballot videos for Be Ballot Ready
https://youtu.be/IYetQUqdHIM