Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022
Did Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer form a political action committee?
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer formed a political action committee in 2021 called “Pro-Democracy Republicans of Arizona.” The PAC website indicates their goal is to support Republicans who “accept and acknowledge” the Arizona election was not stolen in 2020.
The Maricopa County Ethics Handbook does not prohibit elected officials from engaging in activities to advocate the election or defeat of candidates, nor making contributions to candidates, political parties or campaign committees. They cannot use Maricopa County property or resources for political activities. Elected officials are encouraged to avoid situations that create the appearance of impropriety or conflicts of interest.
Maricopa County Recorder’s Office "processes and preserves deeds, plats, and a variety of other important documents" and "is responsible for maintaining voter files for more than 2.6 million active registered voters," according to its website.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Arizona Mirror Stephen Richer creates PAC to back ‘pro-democracy’ Republicans
- Pro-Democracy GOP Fighting to Keep Our Democratic Institutions Alive
- Maricopa County Ethics Handbook
- Arizona Secretary of State AZ Secretary of State Campaign Finance Handbook
- Maricopa County Maricopa County Recorder's Office
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.
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