Can Arizona county election officials reject prospective election workers based on political party?

While prospective election workers must be registered voters in Arizona to qualify for the temporary positions, their chosen political parties do not affect eligibility. One caveat is that prospective inspectors, marshals and judges cannot have switched parties since the prior general election.

Arizona law indicates county officials must endeavor to ensure members of the state’s two largest political parties are equally represented when it comes to key election worker posts. However, both Arizona law and the state Election Procedures Manual acknowledge exact parity is not always possible in practice. For example, when temporary election workers quit last-minute, county officials said they are not always able to backfill the positions with workers from the same party in time for Election Day.

The Maricopa County Elections Department’s implementation of the equal representation requirement is at issue in an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee.