PHOENIX — Election officials in Arizona’s most populous county reached an agreement this week on how to jointly oversee voting, ending a protracted legal battle.

Republican Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap sued the predominantly Republican board of supervisors in June 2025, alleging it illegally took control of certain aspects of election administration. The board called the lawsuit frivolous and said Heap was wasting taxpayer money.

This week they reached an agreement to resolve the lawsuit after mediated negotiations and the board approved it.

“This agreement gets us out of the courtroom,” board President Kate Brophy McGee said after Tuesday’s vote. “I’m sick of the drama. We won’t have to be on the front page in the future anymore.”

Heap said his goal was simple: ensure his office’s legal responsibilities are carried out lawfully.

“I am pleased that we have reached an agreement that, when implemented, will restore those responsibilities and establish a clear framework for administering elections in the future,” Heap said in a statement issued jointly with the board.

Under the agreement, an interim plan proposed by Heap and approved by the Arizona Supreme Court will govern the July 21 primary. Early voting began in late June.

Heap will oversee much of the early voting, selecting ballot drop box locations and other tasks. The board will handle other areas, including Election Day voting, tabulating ballots and maintaining polling place equipment. The board will also fund a new $15 million information technology system and related positions for the registrar.

Heap was backed in the lawsuit by America First Legal, a conservative public interest group founded by Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff. Heap had claimed that the board transferred funds, IT staff and some key functions, including managing drop boxes and setting up early voting sites, out of his office through an agreement negotiated with his predecessor.

Heap defeated incumbent Registrar Stephen Richer, in a Republican primary, and won the 2024 general election.

The two were at odds over election administration in Maricopa County. In the past, Heap has stopped short of repeating false claims that the 2020 and 2022 elections were stolen. But he has said voters don’t trust the state’s voting system and that it is poorly managed. Richer, also a Republican, relentlessly defended the legitimacy of the vote.

Supervisor Steve Gallardo, a Democrat, did not vote to approve the deal and criticized Heap during Tuesday’s board meeting.

“Honestly, I don’t think I want to have an election that is conducted transparently or even an election that is not compromised,” Gallardo said. “Now, with this, he is the owner.”