Elections Director Scott Jarrett
Sasha Hupka
Arizona Republic
Maricopa County supervisors unanimously reappointed Elections Director Scott Jarrett to his position Wednesday — and assigned him to a new boss.
“In some of the most trying times, when folks are pushing out conspiracies and unfounded claims without wanting to talk about the facts, he has marched on,” said Supervisor Steve Gallardo. “I think he has done an admirable job. He has come through, time and time again.”
Jarrett, who has been tasked with running Election Day voting and vote tallying since 2019, will now report to County Manager Jen Pokorski rather than the Board of Supervisors.
The organizational change means Jarrett will now have one manager instead of five, and it creates space between Jarrett and the supervisors, who oversee election operations alongside Recorder Stephen Richer.
But Supervisor Bill Gates said he and his colleagues aren’t “backing away from elections,” noting that responsibility for printer problems at many of the county’s voting sites last year still lies with the board.
Instead, Gates and others framed the move as a matter of efficiency.
