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County Recorder: Let's do this right. Let's build confidence. Let's move forward.

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I didn't want to be in the spotlight. Truly. I ran on the platform of making the "Maricopa County Recorder's Office Boring Again." I sought to competently, fairly, lawfully, and quietly manage the three duties of this office: public recordings, voter registration, and election administration.

To that end, I declined every media opportunity upon taking office on January 4 until May 14, 2021.

But I am human. If you prick me, I bleed. And if you consistently defame me and the people in my office, I eventually fight back. And that's exactly what happened. Beginning on May 14, I started speaking out --- on Twitter, on national TV, on local TV, on national radio, on local radio, in published articles, at public hearings, and at public events. I've set the record straight about the 2020 election, the hardworking people of Maricopa County, and me.

I stand by everything I've said over the past three months. But prior to this report, I hadn't told my full story. If this is self-indulgent, forgive me. I largely agree, but many people have me why I'm doing what I'm doing, so here it is...

For questions contact: voterinfo@risc.maricopa.gov

Read the County Recorder’s Richer's entire 38-page open letter

(Below are a few excerpts from his letter.)

From page 2:

Nobody stole Maricopa County’s election. Elections in Maricopa County aren’t rigged. Governor Doug Ducey agrees. Former Republican Governor Jan Brewer agrees. Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich agrees, and his office has an election integrity unit that presumably receives all evidence of widespread fraud. Former Republican Recorder Helen Purcell agrees. Election directors in every other Arizona county agree. Former President Trump's Department of Justice agrees, including former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr and former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. Trump’s former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, Chris Krebs, agrees. The attorney for the Trump campaign in Arizona agrees; it was he who responsibly said in court, “we are not alleging fraud.” Even Sidney Powell herself — progenitor of so much of the Stop the Steal movement — now says that “no reasonable person” should believe the election was stolen.

From page 4:

After the November 2020 election, appointees from the Republican, Democrat, and Libertarian parties worked in bipartisan groups of three to hand count more than 47,000 votes.19 Though the County facilitated the hand count, the political party appointees performed the actual counting, not staff of Maricopa County. Those hand-counted votes matched the machine count 100%. The County then ran another, post-election, logic and accuracy test to make sure the machines had not been disrupted in any manner during the election. The results again matched 100%.

From pages 5-6:

If you’re an Arizona Republican, I feel your pain. I campaigned for Martha McSally in both 2018 and 2020, and she’s somebody I like both as a person and a politician. We lost both times.

For Trump’s 2020 campaign, I knocked on doors, I dropped off flyers, and I made phone calls. I bonded with, and campaigned alongside, Trump’s Arizona team throughout 2020. I still count as friends people like Trump’s amazing state director Drew S., all of the Trump guys in legislative district 20 (Ben M., Justin B., and Sam Y.), Trump regional advocates like Sue H. (LD13), Marcus H. (LD-15), Michelle R. (LD-15), Caroline C. (LD-18), Linda B. (LD-20), Robyn C. (LD21), and Gene K. (LD-25). On Election Day, my parents (who aren’t political, but are kind parents) and I spent all day passing out the items given to us by the Arizona Republican Party: waters, snacks, and pro-Trump literature. This was my team, and I was a committed member…

But the truth is that the case isn’t there. I spent November and December willing to wait for a meritorious lawsuit, a scientific claim, or convincing data. But it never came because it didn’t exist.

What is there, is data showing that Trump’s loss was built on disaffected Republican voters…

From page 9:

Despite my lifelong support for the conservative cause, I quickly became an enemy to many Republicans because of my lack of enthusiasm for the Stop the Steal movement. As mentioned before, I am driven by facts and logic, and the Stop the Steal movement has neither. I’ve of course received death threats, harassing emails and social media messages (so too has my wife, who isn’t even political), and I’ve had people bang their fists and shoes (seriously) on my car windshield while I sat inside. I’ve had my looks criticized in every way imaginable (yes, people of the internet, I know I’m balding). I’ve been screamed at during many events, and I’ve been told I can “take my fake-Christian, Mormon-ass back to Utah” (I’m not LDS and never have been, but I am from Utah, and I consider the confusion a high compliment).

All by my fellow Republicans.

None of that bothered me much. I considered myself lucky that my treatment was bland in comparison to the harassment campaigns targeted at the Board of Supervisors, Speaker Rusty Bowers, and Senator Paul Boyer (six out of the seven of whom are Republicans).

More disappointing was that some fellow Republican office holders—people I campaigned for and alongside—encouraged this type of harassment.

Read the County Recorder’s Richer's entire 38-page open letter