By Staff Reporter |
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer plans on voting to reelect President Joe Biden this November, despite identifying publicly as a Republican and having voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020.
Richer clarified his voting intentions during an interview with AZ Family after the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission (ACCEC) debate earlier this month.
“I voted for President Trump in 2020. And who am I planning on voting for [in November]? President Biden,” said Richer.
Despite pledging to vote for Biden, Richer has remained critical of the president. On Friday, the recorder reposted a remark from Elon Musk mocking the Democratic Party for its declaration that Biden won the first presidential debate on Thursday. He also reposted an article from The Bulwark advocating for Biden to drop out of the race.
Richer’s voting choices haven’t been the only source of contention for his constituents and Arizonans in recent weeks.
Richer endured criticisms in relation to the recent arrest of an elections worker, 27-year-old Walter Ringfield Jr., who stole keys and a fob to the Maricopa County Elections Building last week and has also been placed under investigation for stolen items out of the Senate earlier this month. Ringfield was tasked with assisting in logic and accuracy testing, cleanup of tabulation machines, and various paperwork within the ballot tabulation center.
The stolen items were a magnetic security key which assists in activating ballot tabulation machines and a key unlocking the pins atop the tabulation machines.
The stolen election items cost the county over $20,000 in damages, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in a press conference earlier this week.
While Richer’s opponent, State Representative Justin Heap, accused Richer of overlooking Ringfield’s criminal past to hire him, Richer says he did no wrong.
“He didn’t have a felony on his record. You know a charge is different from a conviction,” said Richer. “He was caught. Immediately. Credit to the Board. System worked. He’s in custody. No harm was done.”
Ringfield was arrested last year in relation to a theft of over $1,000 from a Fry’s grocery store. The county’s background check didn’t flag that arrest because Ringfield entered a diversion program, which had him on felony release.
Richer initially denied that Ringfield was the same individual who filed a statement of interest last year to run in this year’s Senate race as a Democrat.
Richer later admitted he was wrong, apologizing to GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake’s top advisor, Caroline Wren, as well as radio personality Garret Lewis and lawyer Tom Ryan.
Maricopa County reported that Ringfield began working in elections on June 3. The county sheriff’s office commended the elections staff for recognizing the missing items in a timely manner.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
