Maricopa County election feud escalates over drop boxes

Driving the news: County Recorder Justin Heap, through an attorney, sent a letter to county supervisors on Wednesday warning they could face criminal liability if they moved forward with a planned vote on ballot drop box locations for the July 21 primary.

• The letter noted that poll workers who help them administer the drop boxes could face felony charges, too.
• Heap argues drop boxes fall under his authority, not the supervisors'.

The big picture: This boils down to a fundamental disagreement over who should be making what election decisions.

• The county's election duties — mailing ballots, administering vote centers, tabulating results, etc. — are split between the supervisors and recorder.
• The Board of Supervisors is controlled by Republicans who've defended the election system, while Heap is aligned with the MAGA wing of the GOP and has questioned the system's integrity.

The board ultimately voted unanimously to approve the drop box locations.

What we're watching: County staff cautioned that the fighting could soon cause delays in election planning, which is no small undertaking in the nation's second-largest voting jurisdiction.