Issues
Elections
The Arizona Secretary of State’s office is the designated point of contact for voters statewide during our elections.
This office serves as the filing office for statewide initiatives, conducts Logic & Accuracy testing on all county election tabulation equipment and the Secretary writes the Elections Procedures Manual that codifies many processes within our elections process.
The Secretary also administers the statewide voter registration database, which is comprised of data files from all 15 county recorders.
All of these processes require teamwork and all of them are bottom up with county recorders, election directors, boards of supervisors and filers as the stakeholders and the Secretary receiving their feedback, addressing their needs and coordinating a jointly executed operation where respect, professionalism and cooperation are integral for success.
We need a Secretary who understands how to work with multiple stakeholders at the county, state and federal level to ensure Arizona elections are well-funded, well-run, and secure. I have worked with our election officials local and federal for many years and I have a respect for our partners at every level of government that will enable us to move forward and execute.
Compliance
The AZ Secretary of State is the filing officer for campaign finance for candidates for state offices, standing committees, clean election candidates, PACs and independent expenditure committees. The office also serves as the filing officer for lobbyist registration which includes our public bodies.
The software systems in use are ancient and fail to provide the transparency needed for the public to see funding flows.
As the former Campaign Finance & Lobbying Director for AZ SOS, I know exactly where the software and hardware issues are and I know exactly how to fix them. Our filers, the public, and the media need to be able to access effective filing processes and retrieve reports on demand. I will make the changes needed to finally get us there.
BUSINESS SERVICES & NOTARY
The AZ SOS administers business services for trade names and trademarks, LLC filings and oversees Notaries. This office needs funding to ensure the ability of customers to access services in a timely manner. The staff at AZ SOS is tremendous, they need the tools to execute.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Customer Service is an integral part of every single aspect of this filing office. Emails should have staffer names on them for accountability. Phone lines need to be fully staffed during business hours and the office staff needs to be onsite. During peak filing periods staff needs backup and calls cannot go unanswered. These are difficult jobs and our staffers need to know we are a team and we will provide the needed resources to maintain effective customer service.
STATE LIBRARY & ARCHIVE
The state library and archive are sometimes overlooked and they are an integral part of the office. Resources effectively allocated can help these hidden gems shine.