Arizona Republican businessman Steven Hines announced his candidacy for Maricopa County Recorder in 2024.
Hines says his “General objective is to help heal the divide” in Maricopa County “By rebuilding trust in the recorder’s office by way of accountability, professionalism, and transparency.”
The Republican businessman is the first Republican to announce a candidacy for this position.
Current Maricopa County Reporter Republican Stephen Richer who voters elected to the position in 2020 has reportedly said he plans to run for a second term in 2024 however, he has yet to officially announce his campaign.
Hines is an Engineer and the founder of Arbitral a social media system for bringing accountability to the media. He is a self-proclaimed IT expert with over 30 years of experience designing and managing data management systems.
As the Maricopa County Recorders Office is responsible for ensuring the county’s data is accurate, secure, and accessible Hines says that his background makes him “distinctly qualified” for the position.
“As an IT expert with over 30 years of experience designing, building, and leading teams that build sophisticated data management systems I’m distinctly qualified to rebuild your confidence in the recorders office. This year, feeling I’ve spent too much time living the American dream and too little time helping to preserve it, I paused my tech career to get more involved in the community and hopefully contribute positively,” Hines said.
According to Hines, there has been a division on election integrity in Maricopa County for some time now, and the county has too many elected officials who neglect their duties and manipulate and criticize citizens.
Hines specifically noted an instance last month where current Maricopa County Recorder Richer mocked a candidate for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for questioning him about electronic petition eligibility.
Candidate Rob Canterbury asked Richer when Maricopa County candidates would be eligible for electronic petitions. Richer responded with “lol,” followed up with a criticism that Canterbury wasn’t a suitable candidate for the Board of Supervisors.
According to Hines, Richer should have diffused the situation rather than gaslighting and denigrating Canterbury.
“Our community has been divided on the issue of election integrity for some time now. There has been too much hyperbolic rhetoric and too many elected officials derelict in their duties. We have elected officials who gaslight and denigrate concerned citizens rather than taking steps to diffuse the rhetoric,” Hines said.
https://twitter.com/sw_hines/status/1675905647999881216
Hines said that if voters choose him as Maricopa County Recorder for 2024 he will “vastly improve” voting accuracy, security, and traceability. He also notes that if the county requires new laws or regulations to improve early voting he will work alongside the legislature to make sure they come to pass.
“The areas of early voting the recorder is responsible for will be vastly improved under my watch in terms of accuracy, security, and traceability. If new laws or regulations are required to improve early voting I’ll be sure to work closely with the Arizona legislation to get them passed,” Hines said.
According to Hines, he would not run for Recorder if he thought the Maricopa County early voting process was “tight.” He notes that there are several areas of weakness that he has identified and he has specific ideas how to close those gaps and provide better transparency.
The Arizona Sun Times contacted Hines for comment but did not receive a reply before press time.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “StevenHines” by Steven Hines.
