Statement from Attorney General Mayes on Lawsuit Against Cochise County

PHOENIX – Attorney General Kris Mayes released the following statement on a lawsuit filed by the Arizona Attorney General's Office against Cochise County: 

"Today, my office filed a lawsuit against Cochise County, the members of the Cochise County Board of Supervisors, and the County Recorder for their unlawful agreement to delegate nearly all of the Board’s election duties to the Recorder. The Agreement is essentially an unqualified handover from the Board to the Recorder, not one that would allow both entities to work hand in hand to fulfill their statutory duties openly and transparently.
 
While counties may appropriately enter into cooperative agreements with their recorders to manage elections, Cochise County's agreement steps far over the legal line. In addition to this broad transfer of power, I am deeply concerned this move might shield or obscure actions and deliberations the Board would typically conduct publicly under open meeting law.
 
Suing other public officials is not something I take lightly–but it is my job as Attorney General to bring action when public officials unlawfully exercise their power or act outside the confines of their authority."