Cochise County appoints Melissa Avant as elections director amid questions on turnover and voting-machine records

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 on May 20 to appoint Melissa Avant as the county’s elections director, effective May 27, 2025.

The appointment followed public comment and extended questioning from supervisors about recent turnover in the elections office, public-records requests for voting-machine modification records, and past legal disputes between Cochise County and the Arizona attorney general’s office. Supporters on the board emphasized staff continuity and a planned transition with the interim director assisting Avant through an upcoming special election.

County Administrator Miss Gilman told the board the position was advertised in March and candidates were screened by county staff, including Deputy County Administrator Joe Casey and Human Resources Director Jennifer Graham. Gilman said three finalists were interviewed and that staff recommended Avant after individual interviews with each board member.

Public commenters pressed supervisors about the department’s stability and record-keeping. Allison Morris, a resident from Portal, told the board that the county has had frequent leadership changes and urged strict adherence to Arizona statutes and the Elections Procedure Manual. Morris said, “In less than 2 and a half years ... we’ve had 5 election directors. If you appoint Miss Avant, she will be number 6.”

Eli Dalton Webb, who spoke during public comment, asked how the public would be informed about office absences and filing receipts. Paul Rice, who participated by phone, said he had submitted multiple public-records requests to the Secretary of State and the county seeking engineering change orders and certification records for ES&S (Election Systems & Software) equipment and said he received responses indicating no responsive county records.

During board questioning, Vice Chairman Crosby pressed Avant on whether she would follow lawful directives from the board and how she would act if the board’s direction conflicted with state officials. Avant said she would “follow all lawful directives of the Board of Supervisors” and that if a majority board order was unlawful she would “work with the Board of Supervisors and County Administration to seek alternative solutions.”

Supervisor Gomez told the board that Avant is already registered for the Secretary of State’s Election Certification Officer training in June and that interim director Marty Renteria will assist with the transition and the upcoming special election. Chairman Antonari said Renteria will remain involved to help stabilize the office during the change in leadership.

The formal motion to appoint Avant passed unanimously. The record of the meeting shows the board instructed staff to support a smooth transition; no other formal directives to change policy or acquire equipment were adopted at the meeting.

The appointment comes as Cochise County prepares for a special primary and the 2026 election cycle. Commenters asked that the county produce or obtain records about prior voting-machine updates and certifications; the board did not adopt any new record-production action during this meeting.