In this episode, Angela and Stephen Richer, discuss the role of Maricopa County Recorder, including statutory responsibilities related to voter registration and early voting. Stephen and his team have put a number of safety measures in place to safeguard the integrity of Arizona elections and mail-in ballots. As part of their efforts to extend transparency to the public, Stephen and his team have made it possible for any Maricopa County voter to request to take a tour of the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center. Maricopa County is the largest of all 15 counties in Arizona and is second only to Los Angeles County when it comes to total number of registered voters in counties across the country.
Stephen Richer is the 30th Recorder of Maricopa County. He was elected in November 2020 and took office in January 2021. His office of ~150 employees records hundreds of thousands of documents each year and maintains a voter registration database of 2.5 million voters–the second largest voting jurisdiction in the United States–and administers the mail/early voting component of all elections in Maricopa County.