[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6570013,"mediaKeyId","3192504-9ce62cfaee6f9a599ed077f1194fc578","parentId",3192504,"title","Maricopa County elections and recorder staff outline CD7 special-election logistics, timelines and security changes","audioSeconds",2906,"startMs",630000,"endMs",3536000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3192504-9ce62cfaee6f9a599ed077f1194fc578&start=630&end=3536","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3192504-9ce62cfaee6f9a599ed077f1194fc578/thumbnail_630000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6570013/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Maricopa-County-elections-and-recorder-staff-outline-CD7-special-election-logistics-timelines-and-security-changes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6570013-1782c143e75d437df833fe89702f35e9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771166025&Signature=bXCez8F4Y51tYHVhKAGv99RToQ8MHLI5XgmTPpFllIKXvF2YsVfvKUm9xVsovKGD~7u51prgnra-pcYX7QAeRVqK0Mm6rd-OIFqKUlhpU9ha8GSr~FFQ1V~dBp9moGBlJQQ4YPc3f1LtwlIPqMCcHFYNmp6HU00BmQrMwv9jLSaHgyBns2vWO9pGsqAc7hAf3LiHcQA2qEwBSLFbUTrT0OzruR1LzhyCnwcejLW21xaJ-lJ13WCBmTFV5vnogDSg2GiUCGungkTCLeTWjpmExUY8QMZiTJAOHywMs0gj6Dh-VndfMUhVPq22BPgxUoXsFydzZQO~BvPLWyie1dDMpw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Maricopa County","date","2025-05-05T18:48:48.313Z","article","Maricopa County elections officials and the county recorder's staff on Monday described operational plans for the 2025 special primary and general elections in Congressional District 7, including turnout projections, a phased vote-center schedule, signature-verification changes and a recently discovered postal service issue affecting a return checkbox on election mail.

Elections Director Scott Jarrett told the Board of Supervisors there are \"just shy of 60,000 voters in Maricopa County\" inside CD7, estimating 59,810 registered voters as of the week before the meeting. He said turnout models put primary turnout in Maricopa County between about 20% and 35% and general-election turnout between about 35% and 50%; that would translate to roughly 21,000 to 30,000 total voters in the county portion at the higher end of the range.

Officials flagged several administrative deadlines and timing pressures. The voter registration deadline for CD7 is June 16; the county said the last day to request a mail ballot for the primary moved to July 7 because July 4 is a holiday and statute requires deadlines that fall on a holiday move to the next business day. Recorder staff warned the board that \"if they request a ballot after July 3, they will likely need to walk it into a voting center location to have it counted,\" because mail transit times make a July 7 mail request unlikely to be received in time for processing.

Sam Stone of the recorder's office described a new postal problem discovered late the previous week. \"We were notified ... by the United States Postal Service that the checkbox does not work,\" he said. \"We are now going to be informing voters that the checkbox does not work, and that they need to physically write return to sender or RTS on their affidavit envelope and return it through the post office that way.\" Stone said the issue is a mismatch between USPS machinery and the statutory checkbox language; the recorder's office has asked the county attorney for guidance and said discussions are underway with USPS and the legislature may be needed for a lasting fix.

On ballot security and signature verification, Stone outlined process changes the recorder has instituted: \"Signatures are being clipped individually so that the signature verification will have not only the most recent signature, but up to 4 previous signatures on file. They will not see other information outside of the name of the voter.\" He also described a new double-blind, bipartisan initial review and an auditing step: \"Each signature will be reviewed independently by a member of different parties. So, Democrat and a Republican will each do an initial review of the first sig ... and only if both agree that it is a good signature is that then moved forward for processing.\"

Operational details presented to the board included an eight vote-center plan phased to open some centers 27 days before election day, Avondale City Hall serving as the first 27-day location, and a mixture of early, emergency and election-day vote centers targeted near Tolleson and Avondale where most CD7 voters in Maricopa County reside. Officials said the county would staff roughly 50 to 60 poll workers for voting locations and another 20 to 30 workers for tabulation; the county also estimated reimbursable costs of about $906,000 for the special election.

Officials said tabulation equipment is not connected to the internet, the county will run expanded logic-and-accuracy tests that allow party county chairs to handcraft test ballots and then run them on tabulators, and that military and overseas ballot timelines create additional time pressure: staff said they are planning for a potential automatic recount scenario and the secretary of state's canvass calendar could compress mailing windows for overseas ballots.

The presentations included a public-information push using the county's beballotready.vote site, a social-media and earned-media outreach strategy and a promise to publish final voting-location addresses in an upcoming resolution. County staff told supervisors they had no budget for paid advertising for the accelerated timeline but will seek earned media and can coordinate with supervisors' offices for additional outreach if the board elects to fund paid advertising.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Supervisors Informal Meeting May 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Elections and recorder staff described turnout projections, vote-center plans, signature-verification changes and an unexpected USPS barcode/checkbox problem that may affect address returns ahead of the CD7 special elections.","taxTitle","Maricopa County, Arizona","taxId",2206,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6570019,"Maricopa County supervisors adopt CD7 special-election plan, bar automatic mailings to remote precincts",352,6104000,6456000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3192504-9ce62cfaee6f9a599ed077f1194fc578&start=6104&end=6456","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3192504-9ce62cfaee6f9a599ed077f1194fc578/thumbnail_6104000.jpg","/articles/6570019/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Maricopa-County-supervisors-adopt-CD7-special-election-plan-bar-automatic-mailings-to-remote-precincts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6570019-243c396693ad59c515f3ef4b80dd368c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771166025&Signature=PEiSvmFAA1IeBuyDGhfav64TlFZJ4yqe1ZdaHUFMlXJCIExmR9akjJYWEci9Nuabcvi9FpcmdYZu8dh8-xGhBR20mfzLAgKqYk0MuPvYhnsEf8RY4Dq57jfIfi0e0b7NTLILjBsEdj6Hyk~WSii7qEQynYRZEa1Bkh8~tlAFc9ncqcPnHUB8ZxZdCxuVeMrf842ekVw6JRxy3lLURSOfFONLIfeiU6H4LmuFXtzLKbvkOH10ZchYtIN5pVJrfGkF1eI~lpeffrVAeXwrbA3As~Wf-AtaHPYTeEzQT57iCnaoQd~8heW2kpdefPCtc9Tct0m6FpnqUQDraw9dkk5QzA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Monday adopted the county'wide plan for the 2025 special primary and general elections in Congressional District 7 and barred an option the recorder's office had proposed to automatically mail ballots to remote precincts not on the early-ballot list.

The board approved the plan following a motion by Vice Chair Supervisor Brophy McGee: \"I move the adoption of the 2025 special congressional district 7 primary and general elections plan to exclude and prohibit automatic mail ballots to voters in remote precincts not enrolled in the early ballot program.\" Supervisor Lesko seconded the motion. After roll call the board voted in favor; the clerk recorded the motion as passing among members present (4'0
yes, 0'0
yes recorded against; one supervisor was absent).

The move followed a brief but pointed exchange over whether the county should proactively mail ballots to rural voters who are not on the active early voting list. Supervisor Lesko said she had \"a concern, a very strong concern against automatically mailing voters' ballots that are not on the active early voter list,\" adding that \"I think it's up to the voters to do so.\" Supervisor Gallardo said he supported the motion but emphasized access, calling Maricopa County a national model for both access and security.

Why this matters: the CD7 special election covers precincts spanning multiple Arizona counties and a variety of communities, and the recorder's office had proposed targeted automatic mailings for precincts with long drive times to vote centers. Opponents said automatic mailings to voters who did not request them could set a precedent and risk legal or political backlash; supporters of more aggressive outreach said the county should avoid disenfranchising voters in isolated areas.

Board members who voted in favor cited legal caution and the need to follow statute. Vice Chair Brophy McGee said the decision was made \"in the spirit\" of following the law. Chairman Galvin said he supported the motion and praised the elections and recorder teams for their preparation while expressing concern that the automatic-mail option could be a \"slippery slope.\"

The plan otherwise approved by the board remains in effect, including the proposed vote-center schedule, outreach plans and operational staffing. County and recorder staff said the county will continue to use earned media, press conferences and social channels to reach voters and that voters in any remote precinct can still request a mail ballot individually.

The board's action does not prohibit individual mail-ballot requests; it removes the recorder's automatic-mail proposal for voters not already enrolled on the county's early-ballot lists.

Outcome and next steps: staff said they will finalize the locations and publish addresses in a forthcoming resolution and continue outreach and legal coordination with the county attorney's office on any statutory questions that arise.

","The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt the 2025 special-election plan for Congressional District 7 while rejecting a recorder proposal to automatically mail ballots to certain remote precincts not enrolled in the early-ballot program.","actionData","errors"]

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Maricopa County elections and recorder staff outline CD7 special-election logistics, timelines and security changes

Maricopa County supervisors adopt CD7 special-election plan, bar automatic mailings to remote precincts