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New candidate going after County Recorder job

Posted at 10:17 PM, Mar 23, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-24 01:37:27-04

Voters are calling for Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell’s job after long lines and waiting hours to vote Tuesday night.

Adrian Fontes says he wants the job. Fontes filed the paperwork and announced his candidacy for the November election when Purcell is up for re-election.

He says system glitches seem to come up every election under Purcell's leadership and it's time for change. 

"You'd think someone with that much experience and that much know-how would be able to pull this off," Fontes said.

He believes the first mistake was closing polling locations, ignoring the warnings of State Senator Steve Gallardo to expect a high voter turnout and choosing the budget over accessibility.

"The priority isn't this little budget question or this little staffing question, it ought to be whether the voters get advocated for. Whether the voter’s rights are preserved, that's the number one priority," said Fontes.

If saving money is an issue, Fontes sees options that he admits will take hard work, but believes will be worth it.

"Engage the community, reach out, and say ‘Hey, can we use your locations?’ Let’s spread this around so everybody gets a chance to vote."

Fontes is a criminal justice lawyer in Phoenix and a Marine Corps veteran. He'll run as a Democrat, but believes the Office of County Recorder should be a non-partisan position.