Supervisors put on their “voter hats” to talk with Pima County elections director about the primary

Pima County supervisors sought to settle nerves about elections, saying in a meeting Tuesday they’re confident in the process, asking officials to put on their “voter hat” to make voting easier to navigate, and calling in the elections director to answer questions.

Constance Hargrove, the Pima County elections director, answered questions from the supervisors at the Aug. 13 meeting and addressed various technical issues about a ballot’s chain of custody, how cameras work and where they are placed in the election department’s offices, and how her department ensures that election monitoring is bi-partisan.

Hargrove said she took a look at the concerns of members of the public. While acknowledging that some individuals do believe there is fraud, “I do not believe that is the case,” Hargrove said.

Pima County Board of Supervisors Chair Adelita Grijalva expressed her “strong confidence in our elections.”

One day earlier, on Aug. 12, the board of supervisors voted unanimously to approve the canvas of votes for the July 30 primary election.

Grijalva said they were “professionally, smoothly, and securely run.”

But the approval and commendation comes after community members at the last two board of supervisors meetings raised concerns about what they claim are inconsistencies in the county’s election process . Those inconsistencies include a sample ballot mailed out before last month’s primary elections that had an incorrect date and various issues with the 2022 midterm election.

The concerns prompted supervisors to put the issue on the agenda for the Aug. 13 meeting and invite both Pima County Elections Director Hargrove and Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly to respond.

Cázares-Kelly did not attend the meeting because it is a “high-volume time for her office,” Pima County Clerk of the Board Melissa Manriquez announced at the meeting. According to Manriquez, Cázares-Kelly will present an “after-action” report at a future meeting.

“It’s important that we allow a mechanism that those concerns [about election integrity] are brought to the surface and illuminated,” said District 4 Supervisor Steve Christy, the only Republican on the board, reiterating comments made at the previous meeting.

Christy peppered Hargrove with questions, though many of them pertained more to the recorder’s office than to the elections department.

“It has been a training process. We’re moving forward, we’re definitely improving,” Hargrove said. She said that while there is nobody on staff to proofread all elections material that will be shared with the public, she has implemented a checklist to avoid future mistakes like incorrect dates appearing on elections documents.

“This provides me an opportunity to understand where individuals are confused about the process, where they’re concerned about the process, and it allows me to articulate and to provide the information they’re looking for as well as make some changes that will make them feel like the process is more secure,” Hargrove said.

Christy asked if Hargrove would be willing to have an open dialogue with people who continue to have concerns, and she said that she would.

Dave Smith, the chairman of the Pima County GOP spoke along with five other community members concerned about the election process.

“We have to make sure we have a process we trust,” Smith said. “I challenge you all to think about how we can do that process more transparently.”

Improvements

“If your candidate of choice doesn’t win, it doesn’t mean the system was flawed or rigged,” said Supervisor Matt Heinz, a Democrat who represents District 2.

Heinz blamed former President Donald Trump for encouraging claims of voter fraud, chastising people who are continuing to cry foul about elections and telling them to “Stop it.”

Grijalva, while praising the county officials for holding fair elections said she wants the Pima County Elections website to be easier to navigate on mobile phones to help “make the process more voter-centric.”

“One of the things I found frustrating for me is that it was on a page that was not formatted for your cell phone,” Grijalva said, and not everyone knows what a “vote center” means.

“We have to think about what we can do to make it easier,” Grijalva added.

The county no longer assigns voters to specific polling locations, and voters can now cast their ballot in any vote center that is convenient for them at 132 polling places located around the county.

Grijalva said she also wants to see more signs and info if historic polling centers are not being used and where voters can go to cast their ballot, as well as an improvement on data reporting post-election.

“We’re doing a really good job in a lot of areas,” Grijalva said, “I just want us all to put our voter hat on to make it easier”

“I am very confident that the general election will go well,” she said.

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