New elections director appointed in county that tried illegal hand count of ballots

The new elections director of a southern Arizona border county that tried to implement an illegal hand count of ballots in the November General Election, said he will follow the law and the advice of the county attorney about future hand count efforts.

Bob Bartelsmeyer, who began his role as Cochise County elections director on May 30, was previously the elections director for La Paz County, a position he stayed in for one year. He also worked in the elections department in Mojave County and served in elections roles in states across the country including Missouri, Florida and New Mexico.

It was reported that after former President Donald Trump lost the reelection in 2020, Bartelsmeyer shared posts on his personal Facebook page supporting conspiracy theories about the loss. He said his personal opinions will have no bearing on his position.

He also admitted that those posts were based on incorrect information.

“I assured David Stevens, the recorder, and the supervisors I will no longer post on social media my opinions because here, I am a nonpartisan election official,” he said.

Bartelsmeyer said he would follow the elections procedures manual and statutes. He noted a random hand count of a sample of ballots is currently required by the state to test the accuracy of the voting machines, a process that includes the participation of the county political parties.

“I have no problem going with 100% of beyond what is the minimum to whatever the party chairs agree upon how to count. I am going to follow the legal advice of the county attorney,” he said.

Many challenges lie ahead for the new director

Bartelsmeyer faces numerous challenges before the March primaries and the 2024 presidential election.

One challenge is finding enough poll workers for the polling locations throughout the county.

“I have not found any county that doesn't have a challenge when it comes to poll workers,” he said.

He will also have to hire his team of two other employees including an elections manager and an elections assistant. The most recent elections manager quit last week.

Bartelsmeyer said the county has enough funding for three full-time positions, and some part-time positions as the elections season approaches.

Another challenge is electors who do not trust the elections process, he said.

During Cochise County Board of Supervisors meetings, a vocal group has continued to voice their doubt about the accuracy and certification of voting machines, despite a lack of valid evidence.

The new director will also have to adapt to a larger-scale election as Cochise County which had more than 77,000 registered voters in the November election is around seven times larger than La Paz, which had around 11,000 registered voters in that same election. Bartelsmeyer said although the county sizes are different, the processes are the same.

Former Elections Director quit after facing harassment

Bartelsmeyer replaced Lisa Marra, who resigned after refusing to conduct an illegal hand count of ballots in the November General Election. In May, she received a $130,000 settlement following claims of a toxic work environment. She claimed that two members of the Board of Supervisors pressured her to participate in the illegal hand count.

Marra now works as the Deputy Director of Elections with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.

Bartelsmeyer said he is not concerned about harassment for following the law, and he wants to be transparent with the community. He said he would like to have an open house in the near future so community members can see firsthand the process of counting ballots.

Current Interim Elections Director will leave position

Bartelsmeyer was hired by Recorder and Interim Elections Director David Stevens. This week, Stevens told the board that he will leave the position as soon as his contract allows. According to the board, he must stay on for 90 days after giving in his notice.

Stevens said that while he could have kept the interim position until the end of his term, he has decided to leave the Interim Director position noting that he is not being paid to do the job in addition to his county recorder duties.

“There is not a need for me to do this job anymore, I never wanted the job to begin with,” he said, adding that he has done what the role required as well as hired a qualified director.

How the county recorder and elections director share elections responsibilities

The county recorder maintains voter registration records and manages early voting, while the Elections Department oversees in-person elections. However, both departments oversee different aspects of mail-in voting elections.

Stevens said while the Recorder’s Office receives the mail-in ballots, the Elections Department creates and orders the ballots. The Recorder’s Office orders the envelopes and the voting instruction documents. The Recorder’s Office verifies signatures and the Election Department tabulates them.

“The two of us have to work together,” Stevens said.

After Stevens vacates the position in mid-August, Bartelsmeyer will report to the county administrator.

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. To support regional Arizona news coverage like this, make a tax deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New elections director appointed in Arizona county after illegal hand count