Pinal County Elections Director David Frisk is no longer employed in the wake of the County’s disastrous disenfranchisement of untold number of voters in Tuesday’s Primary Election. Pinal County Recorder Virginia Ross has also resigned her elected office in order to fill the vacancy left by Frisk.
Voters in Pinal County say now they feel like they are watching the chairs being moved around the deck of the Titanic
Prior to Election Day, Pinal County became the focus of lawsuits after the Elections Department sent about 63,000 voters in seven municipalities an incorrect early ballot in the mail.
On Tuesday, relying on a formula provided by Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’ office, the Elections Department failed to have enough ballots on hand at multiple locations for voters. As a result, voters were turned away.
So, it was not surprise that Recorder Ross resigned from her elected office and has been appointed elections Director effective immediately. The county said in its announcement that “despite rumors to the contrary Ross did not oversee the Elections Department for this primary election in her role as county recorder.”
The County will hold a Special Meeting in Florence on Friday at 11:15 a.m. to appoint a recorder to see out the remainder of Ms. Ross’ term which runs through December 31, 2024.
“As a Board we are deeply embarrassed and frustrated by mistakes that of been made in this primary election, and as such we are taking immediate steps to ensure the November election runs smoothly, as elections in Pinal County have historically done prior to this primary,” said Jeffrey McClure, chairman of the Board Of Supervisors. McClure continued, “It is vital that we restore trust for Pinal County voters, and I can assure the community that there’s no better leader to take control of our Elections Department than Virginia Ross. As a fellow elected official, I am grateful to Virginia for sacrificing her elected role to answer the needs of Pinal County.
Ross said that “having been the Recorder Pinal County since 2013, this primary election has been stinging experience for us all. I look forward to involving all stakeholders in Pinal County as we work together to finish this primary election, before immediately turning our attention to the November election.”
Ross concluded, “I also want take this opportunity to publicly thank my staff in the Recorders Office, who have provided me such stellar support since I took office in 2013.”
In December 2021, AZFREE News revealed that Pinal County was one of the recipients of the nearly $5.17 million spent during the 2020 election by the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL). CTCL’s “biggest grant was Maricopa County at over $1.84 million. The runner-up grant amounted to over $950,400 awarded to Pima County. Several counties received slightly under or over half a million each: Navajo County received over $593,700, Apache County received nearly $589,700, Coconino County received over $524,500, and Pinal County received over $472,500,” according to AZFREE News.
The Arizona Daily Independent reported earlier that Pima County Supervisors Ally Miller and Steve Christy voted against certifying the 2020 election over the Zuckerberg grants. Miller explained in an opinion piece published in the Arizona Daily Independent, that the supervisors didn’t believe the grant money was helping to secure the election.
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and the Republican Party of Arizona (RPAZ) Chairwoman Dr. Kelli Ward issued a joint statement in response the removal of Frisk.
“Following calls for accountability from the RNC and RPAZ, Pinal County Elections Director David Frisk’s removal is an important step towards restoring Arizonans’ faith in their elections. The election failures observed by our joint election integrity program during Arizona’s primary were unacceptable and underscore why transparency at the ballot box is so important. Republicans will continue to hold incompetence accountable, fight for transparency, and make it easier to vote and harder to cheat in Arizona and nationwide.”
Pinal County can announce that David Frisk is no longer in the position of Elections Director and is no longer employed by Pinal County.
Virginia Ross is the County's new Elections Director, having resigned her role as County Recorder this morning. 1/2
— Pinal County – Government 🌵 (@PinalCounty) August 4, 2022