Helen Purcell

Helen Purcell
Maricopa County Recorder
In office
January 3, 1989 – January 1, 2017
Preceded byKeith Poletis
Succeeded byAdrian Fontes
Personal details
Born
Helen Purcell

Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
ResidencePhoenix, Arizona
OccupationReal estate trust officer

Helen Purcell served seven terms as the County Recorder for Maricopa County, Arizona. First elected in 1988, Purcell is a member of the Republican Party, and served until 2017.

Purcell faced significant controversy following Arizona's 2016 presidential primary in which voters faced long wait times to vote due to a significant reduction in polling places from several hundred to 60.[1] Purcell also received criticism from a 2014 incident where a candidate was left off the ballot.[2] Another controversy occurred in April 2016 when Purcell's office was forced to reprint 700,000 ballots after a mistake was discovered on the Spanish-language version of the ballots.[3]

Purcell faced a serious primary challenge in 2016, narrowly winning the Republican nomination by 185 votes. She lost to Democratic challenger Adrian Fontes in the general election.[4][5]

  1. ^ Phillips, Amber (March 31, 2016). "Arizona's primary was an utter disaster. But was it just a big mistake, or something more nefarious?". The Boston Globe. Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2016-09-14. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  2. ^ "Peoria council candidate left off ballot — again". Peoria council candidate left off ballot — again. August 6, 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-12-31. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  3. ^ Roberts, Laurie (April 22, 2016). "Roberts: Here we go again: Maricopa County errs on Spanish-language early ballots". www.azcentral.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-31. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
  4. ^ "Recorder Helen Purcell squeaks to victory". www.azcentral.com. September 3, 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-12-31. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
  5. ^ "Helen Purcell concedes race for Maricopa County recorder to Adrian Fontes". 12 News, KPNX. November 15, 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-11-26. Retrieved 2016-11-25.