Critic of Arizona’s elections operations unseats incumbent election official in GOP primary

State Rep. Justin Heap of Mesa, Arizona won the Republican primary for Maricopa County recorder. He unseated incumbent election official Stephen Richer and university professor Donald Hiatt as Maricopa County recorder. Heap criticized county election operations, citing that “thousands of Republicans voters don’t have faith” in them. He expressed concerns over “insecure practices” for managing early ballots in Maricopa County. Heap’s opponents managed the 2020 and 2022 elections in Maricopa County and have repeatedly denied claims about widespread voter fraud in the region.