The new election director for a border county in southern Arizona, which tried to implement illegal hand counting of ballots in the November general election, said he would follow the law and the county attorney’s advice on future hand counting efforts.
Bob Bartelsmeyer, who was appointed Cochise County Election Commissioner on May 30, previously served as La Paz County Election Commissioner, a position he held for a year. He has also served in the Mojave County elections department and has held election roles in states nationwide, including Missouri, Florida, and New Mexico.
After former President Donald Trump lost his re-election in 2020, Bartelsmeier reportedly shared a post on his Facebook page supporting conspiracy theories about his defeat. He said his personal opinion was not related to his own position.
He also admitted that those posts were based on incorrect information.
“I have promised the Registrar, David Stevens, and the Supervisor, that I will not post my views on social media in the future, as I am a nonpartisan election administrator here,” he said.
Bartelsmeyer said he would follow the election procedure manual and the decree. He said the state now requires a random, hand-counted sample of ballots to test the accuracy of voting machines, a process that includes the participation of county political parties.
“I’m fine with going over the minimum by 100% as long as the party chairman agrees on how it counts. I’m going to follow the county attorney’s legal advice,” he said.
Many challenges lie ahead of the new coach
Bartelsmeyer faces a number of challenges ahead of March’s primaries and the 2024 presidential election.
One of the challenges is finding enough voters in polling places across the county.
“I couldn’t find a county that didn’t have issues with poll workers,” he says.
He also needs to hire a team of two other employees, including an election manager and an election assistant. The most recent election administrator resigned last week.
Bartelsmeyer said the county has enough money to secure three full-time jobs and a few part-time jobs as the election season approaches.
Another challenge, he said, is electors who do not trust the electoral process.
During a meeting of the Cochise County Board of Supervisors, a vocal group continued to express doubts about the accuracy and authentication of voting machines, despite the lack of valid evidence.
Cochise County, which had more than 77,000 registered voters in November’s election, is about seven times as many as La Paz, which had about 11,000 registered voters in the same election, so the new secretary will be prepared for a large election. need to adapt. Bartelsmeyer said the counties are different sizes, but the process is the same.
Former election director resigns after harassment
Bartelsmeyer replaced Lisa Mara, who resigned after refusing to illegally count votes in the November general election. In May, she received a $130,000 settlement following allegations of toxic working conditions. She alleged that two members of the oversight board pressured her into participating in the illegal handcount.
Marla currently works as the Deputy Director of Elections in the Office of the Arizona Secretary of State.
Bartelsmeyer said he was not concerned about harassment for complying with the law and wanted to be transparent with the community. He said he hopes to hold an open house in the near future so that local residents can see the ballot counting process firsthand.
Current Interim Election Director Retires
Bartelsmeyer was hired by David Stevens, the registrar and interim election director. This week, Stevens told the board that he would step down from the position as soon as his contract allowed. The board said he must remain in office for 90 days after notification.
Mr. Stevens could have remained as interim director until the end of his term, but resigned from the position on the grounds that he had not been paid for his work outside of his duties as county registrar. said he made it
“I don’t need this job anymore. I didn’t want it in the first place,” he said, adding that he had done what was required for the role and hired a qualified director.
How County Recorders and Elections Officials Divide Election Responsibilities
The County Recorder maintains voter registration records, administers early voting, and the Elections Office oversees in-person elections. However, both departments oversee different aspects of mail-in ballot elections.
Stevens said the office of the Registrar receives mail ballots, while the elections office prepares and orders the ballots. The Registrar’s Office will order envelopes and voting instructions. The Registrar’s Office verifies the signatures and the Elections Bureau tallies the signatures.
“We both have to work together,” Stevens said.
Bartelsmeier will report directly to the county administrator after Stevens vacates the position in mid-August.
Here’s where to contact reporters: sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republic’s Southern Arizona coverage is partially funded by a grant from Report for America. To support local news coverage in Arizona like this one, make a tax-deductible donation. supportjournalism.azcentral.com.
