I'm settled in at Maricopa County's Tabulation and Elections Center for a long night of results. There's a few options on the menu for county employees tonight, including chicken parm, pizza, etc. I've got a full bag of snacks and a cooler bag with cold drinks. Stay tuned!

My household’s ballots are in! 🗳️

Fontes, responding on July 13, said the DOJ should "trust my office and the highly trained and dedicated election officials in each of Arizona’s fifteen counties to carry out our duties in accordance with the law and the oaths we have all taken." Full letter below.

NEW: Maricopa County will hold an emergency meeting on "an urgent request from a mediator to finalize plans that affect the pending, ongoing 2026 primary election and for the 2026 general election." Officials were mediating on election operations yesterday, per court records. 👀

BREAKING: Protect the Vote Arizona's election initiative won't be on the ballot this year. The group didn't collect enough signatures and decided not to give supporters' information to "the very election-denying politicians... that this measure was designed to protect against."

And so it begins!!! 🤩🗳️

Stone added: "This entire incident could and should have been handled with a phone call, and we do not believe any continued investigation or conclusion is appropriate, certainly until such time as the above facts are addressed." Full email below.

ALSO: I have an investigative report from the county's HR department. The investigators concluded Colby and another employee removed the scanner from the building. Colby also removed "what appears to be provisional ballot affidavit envelopes," per the report.

I suspect some of the clips are too large for X, but I also have footage that shows Colby and another person loading the scanner onto a cart inside MCTEC and then loading it into a truck in the parking lot. See screenshots below.

NEW: I've obtained video clips of the March 12 incident in which Maricopa County Recorder's Office employees allegedly took a scanner from MCTEC. One appears to be Chief Information Officer Bryan Colby, the other is blurred. See a clip below. Background: www.votebeat.org/arizona/2026...

OF NOTE: AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes says in a letter to Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap that board members and their employees are not "criminals" for designating or picking up ballots from drop boxes. She adds that by Heap's logic, mail carriers could be accused of harvesting ballots.

UPDATE: UPDATE: Looks like the Maricopa County BOS appealed this case today, per court records. This was expected — they'd previously voted to appeal if a stay wasn't successful. Background: www.votebeat.org/arizona/2026...

NEW: A Maricopa County judge just denied the Board of Supervisors' request for a stay in their legal battle with Recorder Justin Heap over election control. He also denied a motion from Supervisor Mark Stewart seeking court-ordered mediation. More: www.votebeat.org/arizona/2026...

BREAKING: A federal judge just dismissed the DOJ's suit against the Arizona Secretary of State's Office. It demanded that the state hand over its voter rolls. Similar cases against other states — including Michigan, which the order cited — have also been dismissed. Story TK!

BUT: This fight almost certainly isn't over. Board Chair Kate Brophy McGee says she and her colleagues are contemplating an "expeditious appeal." Her full statement below.

ON THAT NOTE: Mayes just issued a statement calling Petersen an "election denier."

NEW: AZ Senate President Warren Petersen is accusing AG Kris Mayes and SOS Adrian Fontes of obstructing a federal investigation. Petersen, who is running for AG, says they asked about records obtained by the FBI, and sent a letter to counties. Background: www.votebeat.org/arizona/2026...

Mayes adds that she will "use every legal tool available to defend Arizona's elections, Arizona's voters, and Arizona's constitutional right to run its own elections."

UPDATE: Navajo County BOS is now in the process of interviewing recorder candidates. The list includes: - Jose Lerma, a voter registration coordinator; - James Vance, chief deputy recorder; - David Marshall, Sr., a legislator who is running for the ACC. Full list below.

NEW: MCAO says Recorder Justin Heap has referred 207 registered voters for investigation. The voters were flagged as noncitizens by an unreliable federal database. MCRO previously said that there were 137 of them. It’s unclear why that number doesn’t match the 207 sent to MCAO.

Guess what?!?! You can now get my news in video form! Follow me on TikTok.

NEW: Judge Scott Blaney just declined the Maricopa BOS’ request for further discovery in the legal battle with Recorder Justin Heap. BOS sought to submit testimony from their subpoena of Heap. Blaney says time for discovery has “long passed,” accuses board of “gamesmanship.” ⬇️

UPDATE: Secretary of State Adrian Fontes sent Recorder Justin Heap a letter yesterday about this matter. He says Heap had made “a very serious accusation” and asks for information on the suspected noncitizens, if their citizenship status was independently verified by MCRO, etc.

On location for Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference, which is running behind. Signs around the room tout the SAVE America Act, voter ID and proof of citizenship policies. In Arizona, voters already have to show ID at the polls to vote in person, and prove citizenship to vote a full ballot.

Supervisors said MCRO refuses to answer their questions. They referenced a letter from Chair Kate Brophy McGee to Heap on Jan. 22, and said he never responded. "It's begging the question, what does Recorder Heap have to hide," Supervisor Debbie Lesko said. See the letter. ⬇️

The BOS has expressed urgency regarding the subpoenas and TRO — see an excerpt from its response to the court below. This fight comes amid a budget process and planning for upcoming midterms. There likely will continue to be some updates here, so stay tuned.

UPDATE: The Maricopa County BOS is considering ordering Recorder Justin Heap to compile a report on topics related to the ongoing legal battle between county election officials. They are set to vote on it in a meeting tomorrow, at the same time as a court hearing on this TRO. 🧵

Board Chair Kate Brophy McGee says the board must “get to the bottom” of the statements made by Heap and his staff. Read her full response statement here. ⬇️

Read the judge’s order here. ⬇️

NEW: After months of fighting, the Maricopa County BOS and Recorder’s Office have both put formal SSA proposals on the table. Recorder’s came earlier this month to the board; supe’s was just released and will be the subject of a special meeting tomorrow. Cover letters on both ⬇️