The Gavel Project

Losing the Election, Rewriting the Rules: Inside Maricopa County’s Election Power Grab What happens when elected officials lose an election — and then try to rewrite the rules on their way out the door? In this episode of Saving Gen Alpha, we break down the escalating fight between Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. After losing the primary in a landslide, outgoing Recorder Stephen Richer — the same official sued in 2022 over changes to Arizona’s mail-in ballot signature verification process — helped push through a lame-duck Shared Services Agreement that shifted core election authority away from the Recorder’s Office and into the hands of the Board. The result? An elected Recorder legally responsible for election duties — but stripped of the staffing, IT infrastructure, and operational control needed to carry them out. Maricopa County represents nearly two-thirds of the state’s voting population. What happens here doesn’t stay local. It decides Arizona and, often, the Nation. We explain what Shared Services Agreements are, how statutory authority works, why this lawsuit matters, and what this power struggle means for the integrity of upcoming elections. Because if election structure can be manipulated after voters speak, the rule of law itself is at risk. Arizona deserves adults in the room. And Gen Alpha deserves better than this.