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Pinal County recorder reports high turnout, new elections facility and ongoing litigation
Summary
Recorder Dana Lewis told supervisors the county recorded 74.86% turnout in the general election, has moved into a new voter‑operations facility, completed a forensic analysis with an A rating, and is in appeals with the Secretary of State over vote centers.
Pinal County Recorder Dana Lewis briefed the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 29 with an overview of recent election operations, turnout and planned changes for 2025.
Lewis said the county achieved 74.86 percent voter turnout in the general election and that registrations increased by about 5.5 percentage points from 2023 to 2024; she reported the county now has roughly 311,000 registered voters and that about 70 percent are on the active early‑voting list. Lewis told the board the office moved into a new voter operations, technology and election services facility 30 days before the primary and had completed a forensic analysis between the primary and general with an A+ rating.
On litigation, Lewis said the recorder’s office entered litigation with the Arizona Secretary of State about vote centers and that the dispute is in the appeals process. She also described a single incident in Saddle Brook where county staff retrieved about 1,000 ballots in four hours; that event has prompted consideration of an in‑person early‑voting site in the Saddle Brook area.
Lewis outlined an RFP (request for proposals) under way for election software that would cover candidate filing, campaign finance reporting, asset management and a poll‑worker database. She said the office is conducting polling‑place tours for ADA compliance and recruitable locations, and continuing monthly “lunch and learn” sessions with poll workers on topics such as provisional ballots and adjudication procedures.
Why this matters: The recorder’s report covers administration decisions that affect how voters access ballots and how election operations are managed. Litigation over vote centers could change how future elections are run; the office’s IT and staffing plans affect contingency and voter‑service capacity.
Board members thanked Lewis for the update. Lewis said the recorder’s office will continue to work with the board and other stakeholders on precincting studies, voter education and remote‑site early voting where demand warrants.
