LEGISLATIVE FUNDS - SIG VER MEMO.DOCX

Maricopa County
Office of the Recorder
301 W Jefferson St. 
2nd Floor, Ste 200
Phoenix, AZ 85003 
Recorder.Maricopa.Gov
(602) 506-3535
Justin Heap
County Recorder
Memorandum
To: Board of Supervisors
From: Justin Heap, Maricopa County Recorder
Re: L Room Build-Out to Support Bipartisan Signature Verification Operations
The Recorder’s Office requests approval to proceed with the L Room build-out to address 
current space and infrastructure constraints that limit the County’s ability to support its 
bipartisan signature verification and audit review process. Existing facilities do not provide 
sufficient capacity to support required staffing levels, secure workflow separation, and the 
technology infrastructure necessary for high-volume election operations.
Our Office conducted due diligence before requesting the usage of these monies. The 
Recorder’s Office coordinated with the Facilities Management Department to assess the 
availability of County-owned space to support staffing needs for upcoming election cycles. 
That review determined no County space was available within the required timeframe. 
The Recorder’s Office was then referred to the Real Estate Department to evaluate 
leasing options; however, those options were cost-prohibitive and not operationally 
suitable given security, coordination, and election-cycle requirements. Accordingly, these 
alternatives were determined not to be viable.
The L Room build-out will establish a centralized, self-sufficient signature verification and 
review operation, allowing ballots to move efficiently from receipt through pre-tabulation 
and final tabulation. This configuration supports consistent application of review 
standards, appropriate routing of ballots to curing when required, and timely processing 
within statutory timelines. Without this investment, space limitations and fragmented work 
areas would materially impede the Recorder’s Office’s ability to scale operations and 
meet election demands.
For the November 2026 General Election, the Recorder’s Office anticipates more than 
double the ballot volume experienced during the November 2025 Jurisdictional Elections. 
Expanding capacity within the L Room will allow ballots collected from Election Day drop-
off locations to be centrally received, staged, and made available for processing as early 
as the day following Election Day. This capacity is critical to ensuring timely processing, 
operational transparency, and accurate election outcomes under a bipartisan signature 
verification framework.
While the County continues to evaluate long-term election facility needs beyond 2026, 
near-term operational demands require investment in existing space to meet statutory 
requirements and election timelines. The L Room build-out provides necessary 
operational capacity for upcoming election cycles, regardless of future facility decisions.

Maricopa County
Office of the Recorder
301 W Jefferson St. 
2nd Floor, Ste 200
Phoenix, AZ 85003 
Recorder.Maricopa.Gov
(602) 506-3535
Justin Heap
County Recorder
The estimated total project cost is $550,000. This includes approximately $400,000 for 
facility infrastructure improvements delivered by Facilities Management, including 
workstations, seating, electrical upgrades, and required permitting, and approximately 
$150,000 for computers, monitors, and related peripherals necessary to support staff 
performing signature verification and audit review functions. The technology equipment 
will be deployed on top of the installed workstations and is essential to support secure, 
efficient, and scalable operations. These funds will be provided out of the $4.1 million 
allocated to MCRO by the state legislature. 
Approval of this item will ensure the Recorder’s Office has the space, infrastructure, and 
equipment necessary to support bipartisan signature verification operations, meet 
statutory timelines, and effectively manage anticipated election volumes.