MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer has filed a complaint for possible illegal activity involving voter information getting posted online or shared with unauthorized parties.
The county official said voter files gathered through public records requests may have been posted publicly online, which could potentially violate state law.
“I take any allegation of wrongdoing very seriously, especially when it comes to the potentially illegal use of information that my office administers,” said Richer, who did not specify what type of voter information may have been unlawfully distributed.
According to Richer's office, the agency started getting emails from individuals who had seen voter data files getting shared online by a group called "Mandarin GOP."
The Recorder's Office had provided this group with a data file through a records request, as it often does with political groups. But recipients of these files must certify that the information won't be shared online before getting the data.
Richer's office has referred its allegations to the Arizona Attorney General's Office to review. Richer said he hopes state officials will take quick action in resolving the "troubling" issue.
Maricopa County has had to release an abundant amount of information related to its elections in recent months as Republicans have spearheaded a months-long probe into the ballot results from the 2020 general election.
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