Richer spoke with 12News on Thursday about his preparations for the election, the debate in the Arizona Senate, and more.
PHOENIX — Early voting is underway in Maricopa County.
On Thursday, County Recorder Stephen Richer told 12News the county is “well prepared” for the general election.
“We’re always concerned because there’s a lot of people doing a lot of things. There are 2 million voters in Maricopa County alone,” Richer said. “But I think we’re very well prepared.”
Richer said Maricopa County had a successful primary and presidential candidate race. So far, 1.9 million mail-in ballots have been sent out in the county for the 2024 general election, and more than 2,000 people turned out to vote on the first day of early voting.
“I’m going into the race feeling good, but I know it’s going to be a long distance,” Richer said.
RELATED: Early voting is underway in Arizona. Here’s how to vote:
Part of that long battle occurred weeks before early voting began.
The computer error was discovered by Richer’s staff weeks before ballots were mailed to overseas voters.
About 98,000 voters are in limbo after the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office discovered that Arizona’s main database, which tracks information on registered voters, had incorrectly updated citizenship status over the past two decades. Ta.
On September 20, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that affected voters should be allowed to vote in the entire election despite not complying with Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship to vote. handed down the verdict.
Richer and Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said it was critical that the issue be brought before the Arizona Supreme Court before the election so they would have “very clear direction” on how to address the issue after the election. He said he thought so.
Ritchie weighs in on Lake and Gallego debate
Heading into the general election, Richer said he is not endorsing anyone in the Arizona Senate race between Republican candidate Kari Lake and Democratic candidate Ruben Gallego. Richer has a defamation lawsuit against Lake pending in the Arizona Supreme Court.
RELATED: Monetary damages still to be determined after Lake effectively pleads defamation against Maricopa County election officials
Richer said he watched the debate between Gallego and Lake on Wednesday evening and didn’t plan to say anything until Lake started talking about the 2022 election.
“I had no idea until Mr. Lake continued to make false statements about the election,” Richer said. “My interest in the debate was specific to that, and I was just frustrated that this person was lying to the court and lying to the people of Arizona. Masu.”
Richer said he will “stick his nose out” when people make false claims about the election system or themselves.
“I’m tired of bullies, I’m tired of people who won’t face the facts, I’m tired of people who disrespect the justice system.” [Lake’s] It does all of that,” Richer said.
After four years of distrust in elections, Richer is hopeful that after this election, voters will be able to discuss other issues, especially those that are important to Arizonans. he said.
but, His interview on 60 MinutesRicher admitted he has become more cynical about politics since the 2020 election.
“People who look me in the eye in private and say they know the 2020 election was not stolen, but say the exact opposite in public just because the political winds were blowing. We felt like we needed to do that,” Richer said. “I am astounded by the lack of accountability for such actions, and it has made me very cynical.”
Mr. Richer lost the race for Maricopa County Recorder in the primary, leaving some people wondering whether his commitment to his beliefs contributed to his defeat in the primary.
But Richer told 12News he didn’t just stand up for what he believed in during the campaign.
“I’ve always been a champion of absolute facts, and it’s very unfortunate that we’re no longer sharing the facts, not just what I believe, but what the facts are,” Richer said.
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