Maricopa County Recorder Fires Back at ACLU Over “Unsubstantiated” Election Worker Allegations

Maricopa County Recorder Fires Back at ACLU Over Unsubstantiated Election Worker Allegations

PHOENIX, AZ – The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office is pushing back against the ACLU of Arizona, accusing the organization of making unsubstantiated allegations against election workers without providing evidence or attempting to verify its claims.

The dispute stems from an October 24 incident in which the ACLU alleges that voters attempting to drop off their early ballots at a Maricopa County vote center were incorrectly told they were required to present identification.

The Recorder’s Office disputes the allegations, describing them as “anonymous, unsubstantiated allegations that dedicated election workers provided incorrect information to a voter.”

According to the Recorder’s Office, the ACLU provided “no evidence and no indication it attempted to investigate before accusing election workers of misconduct.”

Arizona election workers, including those in Maricopa County, are trained to explain that voters may voluntarily present identification to bypass signature verification or deposit their early ballots in a drop box without presenting identification.

Upon receiving the ACLU’s letter, the Recorder’s Office immediately contacted the vote center inspector, who reviewed the allegations with his staff.

The inspector, a veteran election worker with experience in both Los Angeles and Maricopa counties, rejected the accusations.

“I have worked elections in Los Angeles and Maricopa Counties since 2006 and currently serve as an inspector alongside a bipartisan team of experienced poll workers.

“Following the allegations concerning our vote center on October 24, I spoke with our Marshal and lobby staff. No voters were required to present ID to deposit ballots in the drop box, and staff reported no negative interactions or complaints. We experienced no issues during the afternoon’s increased voter traffic and find these accusations baffling to say the least.”

Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap sharply criticized the ACLU for publicly accusing election workers of misconduct without presenting supporting evidence.

“The ACLU has launched a baseless attack on hardworking election workers, treating unverified claims from political activists as established facts without a shred of supporting evidence,” said Heap.

“These are dedicated public servants, not political punching bags. The ACLU is quick to condemn anyone it believes is undermining confidence in elections, yet here it is doing exactly that — recklessly attacking election workers without evidence. The ACLU should be ashamed of this irresponsible political hit piece and owes our dedicated poll workers a public apology.”

In its letter, ACLU of Arizona Policy Director Darrell Hill alleged that volunteers and supporters visiting a Maricopa County vote center on October 24 were told by a poll worker that identification was required to drop off their mail ballots, contrary to Arizona law.

“The poll worker failed to inform them that they could drop their ballots off without identification,” Hill wrote.

The Recorder’s Office maintains that its election workers followed proper procedures and that the ACLU’s allegations remain unsupported by evidence.

The dispute centers on a distinction in Arizona’s early voting procedures: voters may choose to present identification to bypass signature verification, but identification is not required simply to deposit an early ballot in a drop box.