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Recorder reports increased recordation and voter outreach; PRR backlog tied to removed search access
Summary
Pinal County Recorder Dana Lewis reported a 10% rise in recorded documents in 2025 (about 105,000), 13,548 sign-ups for the recorder notification service, a three-week backlog on some public-records requests after the Avid advanced-search access was removed, and multiple voter-outreach and equipment upgrades planned for 2026.
Dana Lewis, Pinal County Recorder, gave a broad update on recording and elections operations at the Jan. 21 meeting. Lewis said the recorder's office logged about 105,000 documents in 2025 (an average near 400 per business day), a 10% increase from 2024, and that roughly 13,548 residents had signed up for the recorder notification service (under 5% of registrants). "When we only have 5% of our registrants signed up...we can do better," Lewis said, urging more public sign-ups.
Lewis said the office received 375 public-records requests but is several weeks behind on some PRRs because access to advanced searches in the county's Avid system was removed without notice amid litigation between the Secretary of State and the Department of Justice. "We're about 3 weeks behind on that," Lewis said, adding county staff are communicating daily with state officials to restore access.
On elections logistics, Lewis described voter-outreach work in 2025 (76 outreach events reaching roughly 3,000 people), poll-worker recruitment and onboarding of new systems (a new poll-worker database and tabulation-equipment upgrades), and a public survey on whether mail-ballot return envelopes should be retained or removed (survey deadline Jan. 31). She also said the recorder's office continues to update standard operating procedures across recording and elections functions and has started Spanish-language materials for voter education.
Lewis fielded no substantive board questions. The presentation concluded with the chair thanking staff for compiling procedures and transparency measures adopted since earlier operational concerns.
Key operational points for follow-up include restoring Avid advanced-search capability for PRR responses, compiling survey results on the ballot-return envelope by Jan. 31 and continuing poll-worker outreach and equipment upgrades already approved by the board.
