NEW YORK — An important election official in Arizona’s most populous county is shifting strategies regarding how to address misinformation surrounding elections. Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap has significantly reduced his office’s external communications staff, going from seven employees down to just one, a significant change for a team previously dedicated to countering false narratives about the electoral process.
Heap, a Republican who assumed office in January, explained his decision in a recent announcement, indicating that his predecessor had overly concentrated on external political messaging. “In response, I have eliminated six external communications positions to reallocate resources toward enhancing our crucial databases and electronic systems,” Heap stated. His office shares election responsibilities with the county’s board of supervisors.
The sole remaining external communications position, alongside a six-member team focused on providing voters with official information, will continue to operate under Heap’s guidance. This alteration indicates a marked departure from the approach taken by Heap’s predecessor, Stephen Richer, also a Republican, who had vigorously defended the integrity of elections and the vote-counting process in Maricopa County over the past four years. This county has been a focal point for disinformation, conspiracy theories, and intimidation aimed at election officials, especially following unfounded claims made by former President Donald Trump regarding election fraud in 2020.
Last year, Richer had noted that while his staff wasn’t wholly dedicated to tracking misinformation or online threats, they incorporated these tasks into their communications duties in collaboration with other local agencies, including the sheriff’s office and police departments. Richer often took it upon himself to directly counter false information that circulated online, using social media to provide factual clarifications about the voting process.
Heap’s administration appears to align with a stance that discourages government involvement in policing misinformation online. His chief of staff, Samuel Stone, emphasized in communications that future threats toward election officials would be addressed by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Since winning a Republican primary against Richer and defeating a Democratic candidate in November, Heap has expressed concerns about public trust in the state’s voting systems without making definitive claims regarding the outcomes of past elections.
Heap remarked that voters’ distrust stems not from misinformation but rather from persistent issues that have plagued elections over time. “It’s not because they believe misinformation on social media,” he stated during a June debate. “It’s because they see the same problems happening election cycle after election cycle and can’t get any acknowledgment from elected officials regarding the magnitude of these issues.”
Heap has introduced measures he believes will restore public confidence in elections. These include removing inactive voters from the registration rolls and allowing closer observation of the signature verification process for early ballots. His strategic pivot away from addressing election misinformation mirrors sentiments expressed by the Trump administration, which has criticized what it terms government involvement in regulating citizen speech. Recently, Trump called for federal employees to refrain from actions that could be interpreted as infringing on legal American speech rights.
