The ACLU of Arizona says some voters returning mail ballots at a Phoenix vote center last weekend were told they had to show identification, and it wants Maricopa County to make sure poll workers explain that ID is optional. County Recorder Justin Heap's office says no one was required to show ID and calls the complaint baseless.
The ACLU's account
In an Oct. 27 letter to Heap and the county Board of Supervisors, ACLU of Arizona policy director Darrell Hill wrote that volunteers and supporters walked to the vote center in the A&E Building at 424 N. Central Ave. on Saturday, Oct. 24, and a poll worker told them ID was needed without mentioning that ballots could be left without it.
The letter says they learned otherwise from an ACLU staff member and that the group has heard similar accounts from other voters, without saying how many or where.
Aryhannah Meza, an ACLU community organizer, told KJZZ she was asked for ID on arrival and was not told she could still leave her ballot until she asked. She said one person left at first and came back later to turn in a ballot.
The ACLU asked officials to review poll worker training for the rest of early voting and Election Day.
The county's response
Heap's office told KJZZ it checked with the site's inspector, who was not named and said no voter had to show ID to use the drop box and that staff had not heard of any problems or complaints. The office said poll workers are trained to tell voters ID is voluntary.
Heap described the letter as an "irresponsible political hit piece" and said of poll workers, "These are dedicated public servants, not political punching bags."
Board Chair Kate Brophy McGee, whose Elections Department runs Election Day voting, wrote that the department trains workers to present every option to voters and the board will work to see that the training is followed. The County Attorney's Office said it received the letter but would not comment, citing attorney-client privilege, KJZZ reported.
