Judge wants candidate input on how to fix Maricopa County's Phoenix Union ballot error

A federal judge wants candidates' input on how to proceed after Maricopa County discovered an error on the ballots for the Phoenix Union High School District's school board election.

The error was an accidental violation of a decades-old consent decree, which was established in 1990 after a court determined the previous method of holding elections for the Phoenix Union Governing Board diluted minority voting strength. It resulted from a lawsuit brought by a group of Black and Hispanic voters in the district.

The decree requires voters to select only one candidate for the two at-large Governing Board seats in the district. But this year, Maricopa County printed ballots directing voters to choose up to two candidates, a mistake it attributed to staff turnover in the Elections Department. Typically, voters can vote for however many seats are open in an election, and newer elections staff assumed that was the case for the Phoenix Union seats, according to court filings.

By the time Election Director Scott Jarrett discovered the error on Oct. 7, it was too late to fix it, according to court filings. Ballots have been sent out, and voting is underway.


https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-education/2024/10/18/emergency-hearing-held-on-phoenix-union-race-ballot-error/75719814007/