BISBEE, Ariz. (AP) – The elections director of a rural Arizona county who pushed false claims that voter fraud was behind President Donald Trump's 2020 election loss is resigning. 5 months after joining the company.

Bob Bartelsmeier announced last Friday that he would submit his resignation and return to his previous job as elections director for La Paz County, more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) to the west near the California border. Tucson's KVOA-TV reported Tuesday.

A Cochise County spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

According to the resignation letter, Bartelsmeyer's last day will be September 29th.

Bartelsmeyer was elected director of elections in April by two Republicans on the three-member Cochise County Board of Supervisors.

Bartelsmeyer publicly shared memes on his personal Facebook page that supported Trump's fraud allegations and promoted the lie that Dominion voting machines manipulated the results.

He served as La Paz County's elections director and deputy clerk for one year. Before that, there was an unexplained 12-year gap in Mr. Bartelsmeyer's resume. Previously, he held election jobs in Arizona, New Mexico and Florida, and was an election clerk in Lawrence County, Missouri, for 23 years, according to his resume.

The southeastern county of 125,000 people is heavily conservative, giving Trump a nearly 20-point lead over Democrat Joe Biden.

Two Republicans on the county board of supervisors tried to have ballots counted by hand during last year's midterm elections, but a judge ruled that was illegal. They subsequently refused to certify the election results. The judge had to order them to approve the election canvass.