Results are in for the 2024 Primary Election. As of August 3, approximately 99% of the ballots cast in this election have been counted.  Approximately 738,287 ballots have been reported (2,100 ballots left to tabulate), which represents 30.51% of eligible voters. 

Republicans cast 51% of the votes, while Democrats cast nearly 43% of votes. Most election day voting was done by Republicans. Election officials did not report any widespread issues or long lines at the more than 220 vote centers that were open on Election Day. 

Thank you to all the County employees and temporary workers who committed their time to help with the Primary Election. The critical work you performed helped ensure a smoothly run election.

You can find Maricopa County's final election results at Results.Maricopa.Vote. Results are not official until they are canvassed by the Board of Supervisors.

On July 24, my fellow Board members and I  approved $14 million in funding for districts with no available source of revenue other than property taxes, and no other governing body from which to seek assistance.

$10.1 million will go to fire districts that respond to emergencies across the Valley. The remaining $4 million will go towards lighting districts and maintenance/improvement districts not associated with a city or town. My colleagues and I agreed that it was important to prioritize funding to fire districts as they are critical to public safety.

Year End ARPA Report

The 2024 Recovery Plan was recently released, documenting how federal American Resue Plan Act (ARPA) funds have been used to address challenges stemming from COVID-19. In sum, Maricopa County has now allocated every dollar of our $871 million ARPA allotment to programs, services, and projects that improve quality of life.

• $300.9 million allocated and $155.9 million already spent on housing
• $130.8 million allocated and $108.8 million already spent on public health infrastructure
• $54 million allocated and $54 million spent on small business assistance
• $40.6 million allocated and $24.1 million already spent on workforce development.   

Full report: Maricopa.gov/RescueFunds

Maricopa County Public Health is continuing to track heat-related deaths and illnesses. As of the week ending July 27th, there were 37 confirmed deaths and 438 cases under investigation. July has been the deadliest and most dangerous month for heat-related deaths in 2024.  Men make up 73% of heat-related deaths- most (44%) of those men were identified as white or non-Hispanic. People aged 75+ have been most impacted by heat deaths, making up 27% of total deaths. To date, drug use has contributed to or been involved in 49% of heat deaths, and 38% have been among people experiencing homelessness.

This week is starting off hot with an excessive heat warning being issued. Please continue to take extra precautions to prevent any heat-related illnesses.

For more information on heat illness, prevention, energy/financial assistance, and help for Seniors please click on the following links:

• Heat Illness and Prevention: gov/heat
• For Real-time Heat Data: visit the new MCDPH dashboard
• Energy/Financial Assistance: Energy/Financial Assistance
• Help for Seniors: Help for Seniors
• Call 211 for help if you’re A/C is out.

I have some great news to share about our Libraries! Our Summer Reading is seeing record numbers! With over 93,000 registered participants, this is the highest participation of Maricopa County Reads the county has ever seen. The program is for all ages, and participants were able to earn points through August 1 working towards a State Parks Day Pass, tickets to a Phoenix Mercury game, and a free book. In addition to the Summer Reading program, there are a ton of fun and engaging events happening at the Sun City and Fairway libraries in August. From craft events to book clubs to concerts, there is something for everyone! Browse a list of events for each branch at: www.mcldaz.org/sun-city  and www.mcldaz.org/fairway. 

With all the great work our library has been doing. I am proud to announce that our Library District won a National Association of Counties (NACo) Award for its Memory Care Kit program started at the Sun City Library in partnership with the Friends of the Sun City Library. The kits are intended to assist any individuals suffering from memory loss issues and are given out to take home and own with no expectation of returning. They contain specific and dedicated resources that are not available in the library’s typical materials, like adult picture books, fidget toys, puzzles, activity sheets, and resources for caregivers, all in a large typeface. They also contain a link and QR code that direct people to a webpage on the library website connecting them to additional resources.

Maricopa County’s Workforce Development Rapid Response Services recently held an in-person hiring event for approximately 500 workers facing layoffs from a local leader in the aerospace and defense industry.

At the all-day event held in Chandler, Rapid Response Services helped connect workers in engineering, assembly and labor, and administrative positions with 18 employers such as Blue Origin, United States Navy, Raytheon, and Boeing.

There were 1,360 prescreens (as companies screened more than one potential employee), 40 on-site interviews, and 112 scheduled interviews. 3 hires have been made so far, with potentially 40 pending.

It is the goal of Department of Human Services Workforce Development Division to provide comprehensive services for youth and adult workers seeking employment in Maricopa County to support a healthy and competitive workforce.

Learn more about their efforts at gov/WDD

Maricopa County  |  301 W Jefferson St  |  Phoenix, AZ 85003