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Informal Meeting Minutes
Monday, May 02, 2022
9:30 AM
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Maricopa County, Arizona
(and the Boards of Directors of the Flood Control District,
Library District, Stadium District, Improvement Districts
and/or Board of Deposit)
"The mission of Maricopa County is to
provide regional leadership and fiscally
responsible, necessary public services to
its residents so they can enjoy living in
healthy and safe communities”
Board Members
Bill Gates, Chairman, District 3
Clint Hickman, Vice Chairman, District 4
Jack Sellers, District 1
Thomas Galvin, District 2
Steve Gallardo, District 5
County Manager
Joy Rich
Clerk of the Board
Juanita Garza
Meeting Location
Supervisors’ Auditorium
205 W Jefferson,
Phoenix, AZ 85003
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
The Board of Supervisors of Maricopa County, Phoenix, Arizona, convened in an Informal Session at
9:30 AM on Monday, May 2, 2022, in the Supervisors’ Auditorium, 205 W Jefferson, Phoenix, AZ 85003,
with the following members present: Bill Gates, Chairman, District 3; Clint Hickman, Vice Chairman,
District 4; Jack Sellers, Supervisor, District 1; Thomas Galvin, Supervisor, District 2; Steve Gallardo,
Supervisor, District 5. Also present: Juanita Garza, Clerk; Kelly Gardiner, Minutes Coordinator; Valerie
Beckett, Assistant County Manager; Andrea Cummings, Legal Counsel (remote).
PRESENTATION AND ACTION
1.
PRESENTATION AND ADOPTION OF THE 2022 ELECTION PLANS
1) Presentation of the Maricopa County Early Voting, Emergency Voting and Election Day
Plans for the 2022 August Primary and November General Elections.
Scott Jarrett, Director of In-Person Voting and Tabulation
Rey Valenzuela, Director of Mail Voting and Election Services
2) Adopt the 2022 Election Plans. (C-21-22-051-X-00)
Chairman Gates opened the meeting and asked the Clerk to call the roll.
Chairman Gates announced the passing of Allister Adel, former County Attorney, and called for
a moment of silence.
Each of the Supervisors spoke and thanked the Chairman for the time to and express their
thoughts, prayers, and well wishes to her family. Chairman Gates said despite the sadness, he
wanted everyone to remember the good times.
Chairman Gates stated this meeting was an opportunity to get an update on the Elections Plan
for 2022. He asked Scott Jarrett, Director of In-Person Voting and Tabulation, Rey Valenzuela,
Director of Mail-in Voting and Election Services, and Stephen Richer, Recorder, to come
forward.
Mr. Richer spoke about Maricopa County as a family, working together to better the lives of the
citizens. He talked briefly about Allister Adel and wanted to impress upon everyone that
humanity is the common thread that supports Maricopa County leadership.
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Monday, May 02, 2022
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Mr. Richer said 2022 Election Plan is not a secret plan. It is a long, thought-out plan and the
public is welcome to be part of it. The document being presented is the plan that would guide
the elections process for the next few months. He encouraged everyone who wanted to know
about the elections process to read it and get involved.
Mr. Jarrett talked about the importance of this document and said it covered all different aspects
of the upcoming elections including contingency plans.
On the slide below, Mr. Jarrett discussed the contents of the ballot for the August and November
Elections. He said if a voter is registered Independent or No Party, the voter will need to ask for
the specific ballot they want. If the voter would like an early ballot, they need to specify which
party. The voters who cast their ballot on Election Day can choose any ballot on that day.
Supervisor Hickman asked about ballot availability and referred to a previous Presidential
Preference Election where Independent voters went to the polls and were unable to vote. Mr.
Richer clarified the difference between a Presidential Preference Election and a Primary
Election regarding ballot availability. Supervisor Gallardo stated Legislature was responsible for
voter confusion.
Mr. Jarrett went over how people can get involved noting they would be recruiting over 3,300
temporary workers to support the Elections Department through the elections. People can visit
GetInvolved.maricopa.vote if they are interested in helping with elections. Mr. Jarrett finished
the review of the slide below.
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The Key Dates slide highlighted deadlines and those that fall on holidays. Mr. Jarrett continued
his review of the slide below. Supervisor Galvin asked if a ballot was mailed on July 31, 2022,
would that ballot be counted. Mr. Jarrett stated that if the post office delivered the ballot by 7:00
p.m. on August 2, 2022, that ballot would be counted.
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Mr. Jarrett reviewed the Voting Processes slide below. Maricopa County has made several
accommodations to make sure everyone has an opportunity to vote. There are three options
for voting, but there are variations to those options. Mr. Richer acknowledged the County has
a “bend over backward” mentality that the Elections Department will serve Maricopa County
voters. He noted early voting has increased from 75% to 77% since the 2020 election. People
still appreciate the early voting model.
Mr. Jarrett reviewed the Estimating Voter Turnout slide below explaining what drives voter
turnout, and discussed the statistics.
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Rey Valenzuela reviewed the Early Voting slide below. He expressed the importance of making
sure the voter knows where their ballot is at any given time and provided many resources voters
may use to find out where their ballot is. The Elections Department is committed to transparency
and to helping the voter.
Mr. Richer stated 24,000 ballots were cured in the 2020 election. He explained that a cured
ballot is a signature validation process. He said this statistic illustrates the great job done by
Maricopa County taking care of its voters.
Supervisor Hickman asked about a lawsuit during the 2020 election looking into the curing
process. Mr. Richer responded there were two cases that questioned signature verification. He
said both cases affirmed that there was no signs of fraud or forgery.
Tom Liddy was asked to come forward. Mr. Liddy stated that he could not answer the question
on signature verification better than Mr. Richer did. Supervisor Hickman clarified his question
specifically about Ward v. Jackson. Mr. Liddy stated the Court confirmed the accuracy of the
County’s signature verification. He said out of 1,629 ballots, there was a 99.45% accuracy rate
and Maricopa County Elections was praised. Mr. Liddy explained the multiple layers of
signature verification and the many checks and balances in the system.
Ms. Valenzuela explained in detail the resources available to the voters and the signature
verification process.
Mr. Richer emphasized the need to contact the Elections Department if the voter wants to have
the ballot mailed to any other address than the one on file. The United States Post Office will
not forward ballots.
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Mr. Valenzuela reviewed the Ballot by Mail slide below. He said all early ballot signatures are
examined by humans, not by artificial intelligence or a machine.
Mr. Richer emphasized visiting BeBallotReady.vote to check voter registration as we enter this
election cycle. Mr. Richer reminded voters that if they are a registered Independent voter, and
they are on the active early voting list, they must let the Elections Department know what party
ballot or what non-partisan ballot they wish to receive. Everyone is urged to be a participant in
the early voting process by signing up for text message notification or by visiting
BeBallotReady.vote, and tracking their ballot.
Mr. Richer noted the information on the slide below has previously been reviewed in depth.
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Mr. Jarrett reviewed the In-Person Voting Options slide below. He explained how Vote Centers
work and why this model affords voters more opportunities to vote in person and why there will
be no assigned precincts for voters. Supervisor Sellers asked Mr. Jarrett to expand on the Vote
Center model. Mr. Jarrett explained how technology allows the Elections Department to be
efficient and secure.
Mr. Richer explained how the precinct model restricts voters from having the flexibility to vote
near home, work, school, etc. The precinct model resulted in provisional ballot problems and
ballots being disqualified. There were 3,000 provisional ballots in 2016 that caused very long
lines and votes being disqualified. If a voter visits a vote center with a line longer than desired,
that voter can go to another vote center to vote. The 2020 election was the first election in
Maricopa County that vote centers were utilized.
Supervisor Galvin asked how many vote centers there were in 2018 and how many will be
available in the 2022 election. Mr. Jarrett stated that in 2020 there were 99 vote centers for the
primary election and 175 for the November general election. The number of vote centers that
will be available in 2022 will be 210 to 225. There were 40 vote centers in 2018.
Mr. Richer emphasized that the voting center locations are data driven by the number of people
who have turned out to vote in previous elections.
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Mr. Jarrett reviewed the Supporting Voting Locations slide below, and stated that technology
has allowed more secure flexibility as depicted in the command center illustration. He informed
the Board of the many divisions of the office that are monitoring this command center.
Mr. Jarrett reviewed the Vote Center Location Information slide that informs voters of estimated
wait times, facility locations, how many people in line a specific locations.
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Mr. Jarrett reviewed the Who Supports Elections slide below. He said they will be hiring over
3,300 temporary workers for the 2022 election cycle.
Mr. Richer explained the need for temporary employees and invited college and high school
students to become involved.
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Mr. Jarrett reviewed the Tabulation Operations slide. He explained the political party process
and how they are involved with the transparency and security of the tabulation operations
process. He said party observers select the batch of ballots for a hand count to determine the
accuracy of the tabulation process. He explained why a hand count of ballots would take years
due to the volume of Maricopa County voters. He explained the County has an accurate and
secure tabulation system that goes through federal and state certification by voting system
laboratories.
Mr. Valenzuela reviewed the Election Information and Education slide below. He discussed the
misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation that has to be managed. He explained most
people just want to be educated.
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Mr. Valenzuela reviewed the Informing Voters slide below. This is a proactive practice to keep
the voter engaged. He explained the different aspects of informing voters and a way to get the
public involved. He also noted the newsletter that is available for people to subscribed to for
information.
Supervisor Hickman asked how many people are currently attending this meeting online and
the Clerk reported there were approximately 50 people. The Chairman noted this meeting can
be seen on YouTube for future viewing.
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Supervisor Gallardo said we have the best elections team in the world. He has been part of
elections and knows the level of difficulty there is in holding an election. He stated he is very
comfortable with elections going forward because Maricopa County is moving mountains. He
said there will always be naysayers, but we will continue to move forward with transparency.
Supervisor Galvin stated the elections are safe, secure, and accurate, and he said the safety
of the voters is paramount. He asked what we do to assure safety for our voters, poll workers,
and ballots. Mr. Jarrett explained the poll workers have premium training where de-escalation
tactics are taught. If a confrontation cannot be resolved by the poll workers, there is a plan in
place that includes the Command Center, and they have a relationship with law enforcement
agencies across the County. These agencies will be invited into MCTEC to see what takes
place. There will be unmarked vehicles from the Sheriff’s Office that are deployed to observe
the voting locations.
Supervisor Galvin asked about the hand count verifications and Mr. Jarrett explained it is a
random 2% selection from each vote centers. He clarified the hand count is done by the political
parties. Mr. Liddy stated there is a range of 2%-5% random selection allowed by state statute.
He said asking for a 100% hand count would be illegal. Mr. Liddy said it is mandatory that the
ballots be tabulated by machine per state statute.
Supervisor Galvin asked about the results and when they are reported. Mr. Jarrett responded
that state statute changed and now allows a ballot to be counted upon receipt. He explained
the process from that point forward.
Supervisor Hickman talked about the proactive aspects in the plan and asked about addressing
issues that might come up such as the Sharpie incident in the 2020 election. Mr. Jarrett said
Sharpies will not be used for marking ballots in the 2022 election. A different pen will be used
and a heavier weight of paper.
Chairman Gates praised the Elections Department and the County Recorder. He noted the
advancements and innovations that allows the voter to have it their own way.
Motion to approve the 2022 Election Plan that includes the August Primary and the November
General Election by Supervisor Clint Hickman, seconded by Supervisor Steve Gallardo
Ayes: Bill Gates, Clint Hickman, Jack Sellers, Thomas Galvin, Steve Gallardo
ACTION
2.
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING APRIL 6 LETTER
FROM ARIZONA ATTORNEY GENERAL BRNOVICH
Discuss the letter from the Attorney General and discuss possible correspondence and
responses. (C-19-22-191-X-00)
No action was taken on this item.
3.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Vote to convene in Executive Session to consider the items on the Executive Agenda dated
Monday, May 02, 2022, for Board of Supervisors and relevant Special Districts pursuant to the
statutory authority listed for each item.
Motion to approve by Supervisor Clint Hickman, seconded by Supervisor Thomas Galvin
Ayes: Bill Gates, Clint Hickman, Jack Sellers, Thomas Galvin, Steve Gallardo
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Monday, May 02, 2022
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MEETING ADJOURNED
After discussion on the Executive Session items and there being no further business to come before the
Board, the meeting was adjourned.
___________________________
Bill Gates, Chairman of the Board
ATTEST:
____________________________
Juanita Garza, Clerk of the Board