Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap's office listed the wrong Election Day date on an automated telephone line.
A fellow elections official said Heap should be "embarrassed."
“Justin should be embarrassed that he can’t get the basics done right,” Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin said in a text message. “Thousands of people call his call center.”
Voters head to the polls Nov. 3 to decide important statewide races for governor, attorney general and secretary of state as well as U.S. House races that could tilt the balance of power in Congress.
However, the recording on a phone line managed by Heap’s office claimed the election was a day later, on Nov. 4, according to a 12 News video posted Oct. 20.
The date had been corrected by later in the
day when The Arizona Republic called the line.
Heap oversees early voting and voter registration in Maricopa County, the most vote-rich part of the state.
The error came during the early voting period, which began Oct. 7. Voters can mail their ballots until Oct. 27, vote early in person until Oct. 30, use a ballot drop box or cast a vote in person on Election Day.
It wasn’t clear why the recorder's phone line listed the wrong date. Heap's office did not respond to a voicemail or emails requesting comment.
It may have been an old telephone message. Election Day landed on Nov. 4 a year earlier, in 2025.
The incorrect date quickly set off a social media firestorm. It came at a time when the two groups of officials who oversee Maricopa County elections are embroiled in a bitter feud.
Maricopa County elections are run by two elected offices, the Republican-led Recorder’s Office and the GOP-majority Board of Supervisors. The two parties are often at odds. Their fight over dividing election duties made it all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court.
The latest flashpoint came this week, after Heap called the FBI on election workers who were in a facility managed by the supervisors late at night. Investigators found no wrongdoing.
Stephanie Murray covers national politics and the Trump administration for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. She co-hosts “The Gaggle,” The Republic’s weekly politics podcast. Reach her at stephanie.murray@usatodayco.com, on X and TikTok @stephanie_murr and on Instagram @stephaniemurray.news.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Maricopa County election phone line had wrong election date
