By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Arizona Supreme Court has weighed in on the conflict between the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and County Recorder Justin Heap.
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The Supreme Court ended the stay previously put in place by the Arizona Court of Appeals. Heap’s election plan can now be put back into place, the high court ruled.
The lower court previously ruled that it was too close to an election to make changes.
The board of supervisors said it was disappointed in the ruling.
“The Board is disappointed with today’s decision by the Arizona Supreme Court because it reverses the stay order in Heap v. Galvin, et al. and directs last-minute changes in election administration during the course of an ongoing election. In fact, the Board’s Chair and Vice-Chair and the Recorder had actually reached consensus Monday evening following two days of mediation that was ordered by the Supreme Court. Our primary concern has always been, and remains, Maricopa County’s 2.6 million voters. The Board will follow the law and abide by the court’s decision, and we look forward to Recorder Heap’s plans in terms of how he intends to exercise his newfound authority to administer lawful, high-quality elections this year and beyond.”
Heap, the Republican recorder in Maricopa County, sued the predominantly Republican county board of supervisors, alleging it had illegally taken control of certain aspects of election administration.
Heap claimed the board transferred funding, IT staff and some key functions — including management of ballot drop boxes and establishing early voting sites — away from his office through an agreement negotiated with his predecessor, whom he had recently defeated in a GOP primary.
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Power struggle continues
The dispute between the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the recorder has been ongoing for more than a year.
In April, a Superior Court judge sided with the recorder, finding the board acted illegally and exceeded “its statutory authority by seizing the Recorder’s personnel, systems and equipment and refusing to return them” to the recorder.
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