Pinal County elections director fired after error-plagued primary

The Pinal County elections director was fired Thursday after an error-plagued primary left voters outraged and officials "embarrassed and frustrated."

David Frisk, who was appointed to the position in March, was removed and replaced in an effort to restore public confidence in the system, officials said in a statement.

Frisk's ouster comes after his department sent erroneous ballots to 63,000 voters in July and after a quarter of the county's polling stations ran out of ballots on election day.

"We are deeply embarrassed and frustrated by the mistakes that have been made in this primary election,"  Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey McClure said in a statement Thursday. "We are taking immediate steps to ensure the November election runs smoothly, as elections in Pinal County have historically done."

'Every county official is embarrassed': Ballot shortages possibly prevented hundreds in Pinal County from voting

McClure promised a crowd of angry candidates and voters at a news conference Wednesday to swiftly restructure the elections department and to bring in experts to review operations.

Pinal County Recorder Virginia Ross will immediately replace Frisk. She resigned from her elected position on Thursday.

"This primary election has been a stinging experience for us all," Ross said in a statement. "I look forward to involving all stakeholders in Pinal County as we work together to finish this primary election, before immediately turning our attention to the November election."

Frisk could not be reached for comment Thursday. His former supervisor in Kitsap County, Washington, heaped praise on Frisk for his work overseeing elections since 2015.

Kitsap County Auditor Paul Andrews said Thursday that Frisk was an "amazing" elections manager.

"He understood the job he was doing and the importance of the role he played," Andrews said, adding Frisk had "the right temperament and personality" for his position.

Kitsap County has a population of 269,000, which is a little more than half the size of Pinal.

Andrews said he has had recent conversations with Frisk, who remains in contact with his former coworkers. He expressed doubt that Frisk was wholly to blame for Pinal primary woes.

Andrews said he doesn't know all the details of the debacle in Pinal County, but he said Frisk talked about concerns over staffing levels in Pinal. Kitsap recognizes that staffing is important to achieving a smooth election, Andrews said.

Pinal County became the poster child for election day problems in Arizona, with only a smattering of  issues reported throughout the state.

County Attorney Kent Volkmer said up to 750 people were affected by delays in Pinal County, but he could not estimate how many left polling places without casting votes.

About 25% of the county's 95 precincts reported running out of ballots or running low and needing help.

Only a handful of votes separated candidates in some municipal elections in the county. Officials couldn't promise the outcomes wouldn't be affected by the ballot shortages.

Officials blamed the ballot shortfall on human error, saying the elections department underestimated the number of people who showed up to vote in person on Tuesday.

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Volkmer said the county's response also was hindered by an inability to quickly print new ballots. He said the county had to rely on two old printers that only were capable of printing one new ballot every three minutes.

In addition to the ballot shortages, one polling station opened four hours late, causing a voting rights group to file emergency motion in Pinal County Superior Court asking to extend the hours. A judge rejected the request.

The election-day drama follows an error last month that caused Pinal County to send out nearly 63,000 erroneous ballots to voters, leaving officials scrambling to come up with a legal solution before the primary.

They settled on a plan that allowed affected voters to augment their original ballots with supplemental ones that they could cast in person or by mail. The erroneous ballots only affected municipal races.

County Manager Leo Lew appointed Ross as elections director Thursday.

Ross, who was first elected in 2012, oversaw elections until 2017, when it became a separate department.

The Board of Supervisors will hold a special session Friday to appoint someone to serve out Ross's term, which runs through 2024.

County officials who appointed Frisk in March cited Frisk's leadership ability.

Fisk made $100,000 a year. He was tasked with leading a five-member team to plan and ensure elections "are secure, transparent, accessible, free, and fair elections that inspire public confidence in the election system," according to the county's website.

"David's leadership and extensive election-related experience aligned very well with the County's needs," Deputy County Manager Himanshu Patel said at the time.

Frisk said he was excited about the move from Washington to Arizona.

"My family and I have been looking to relocate to Arizona for some time so I am thrilled to have this opportunity to join Pinal County," he said in an announcement about his hire.

Frisk's office voice mail was still taking messages Thursday.

Robert Anglen in an investigative reporter for The Republic. Reach him at robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8694. Follow him on Twitter @robertanglen.

Reach Maricopa County reporter Sasha Hupka at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @SashaHupka.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Pinal County elections director fired over ballot shortage