Helen Purcell
Helen Purcell | |
|---|---|
| Maricopa County Recorder | |
| In office January 3, 1989 – January 1, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Keith Poletis |
| Succeeded by | Adrian Fontes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Helen Purcell Topeka, Kansas, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Occupation | Real 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. Purcell also received criticism from a 2014 incident where a candidate was left off the ballot. 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.
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.