Cochise County hires elections director with experience working for the county's leaders

Cochise County announced a new elections director after the former director left the position just weeks before the November election.

Tim Mattix will be Cochise County's fourth elections director this year. The county has become a hotbed for voter fraud claims, and longtime Elections Director Lisa Marra resigned in January after refusing to conduct an illegal hand count of ballots from the November 2022 election. County Recorder David Stevens was then given elections director oversight — a consolidation of elections power that prompted a lawsuit from Attorney General Kris Mayes — until the head of elections in La Paz County, Bob Bartelsmeyer, took the job in May.

In an Aug. 15 court filing, after Stevens resigned as interim elections director and elections duties were returned to an elections director who reports to the county administrator, the attorney general agreed to dismiss the lawsuit.

County Administrator Richard Karwaczka announced his decision to hire Mattix on Friday.

"Tim's experience and his extensive knowledge of election law and procedure make him an ideal candidate for this position," Karwaczka said in a press release. "He also comes with the considerable advantage of having a past leadership role in Cochise County administration."

Mattix has more than 20 years of experience in election administration, having previously worked for the communities of Marana, Tempe and Dewey-Humboldt, according to the county's press release.

From November 2020 to July 2023, Mattix worked for the Cochise County Board of Supervisors, first as the deputy clerk and later as clerk of the board.

During his time as the board clerk, Mattix worked directly with the county's Elections Department, according to the release.

The county interviewed three candidates before choosing Mattix. He will begin in this position on Oct. 30 with a salary of $90,000.

"I have long wanted to return to an elections-related role, and I believe that my experience and dedication will serve me well as I accept this new challenge," Mattix said in the press statement.

Mattix's immediate predecessor, Bartelsmeyer, returned to running elections in La Paz County.

Bartelsmeyer's hire in Cochise County was approved by the two Republican supervisors on the three-member board. Democrat Supervisor Ann English had concerns about election-related conspiracy theories Bartelsmeyer shared on social media following the 2020 election and about his application. In his application, he requested that several of his prior employers not be contacted.

After Bartelsmeyer was hired, Stevens submitted a 90-day notice to end his interim elections director position, reverting all elections department oversight to the county administrator, who appoints new department directors as a part of his role.

Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. The Republic's coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cochise County hires Tim Mattix as new elections director