Pinal County election director replaced by county recorder following ballot debacle

PINAL COUNTY, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - Pinal County announced this morning that David Frisk has been replaced as Election Director and is no longer employed by Pinal County.

Virginia Ross just resigned from her elected position of County Recorder and has been appointed Elections Director, effective immediately. Ross was elected as County Recorder in 2012 and prior to serving in the civic sector worked for Ryder System, Inc., and IBM as a Project Manager, Telecommunications Manager and Senior Contract Negotiator. Ross said, addressing her new position, “Having been the Recorder for Pinal County since 2013, this primary election has been a stinging experience for us all. I look forward to involving all stakeholders in Pinal County as we work together to finish this primary election, before immediately turning our attention to the November election.”

Ross did not oversee the Elections Department in any way thus far in this year’s election. She was, however, in charge of Pinal County elections during her first term in 2014 and in 2016. But because her duties as recorder consumed more of her time, she did not continue to oversee any further elections beyond that. It was in 2017 that an Elections Director position was established to oversee Pinal County elections processes. A special session meeting will be held by the Board of Supervisors in Florence on Friday at 11:15 a.m. to appoint a new Recorder who will serve in the position until Dec. 31, 2024.

“As a Board, we are deeply embarrassed and frustrated by the mistakes that have been made in this primary election, and as such, we are taking immediate steps to ensure the November election runs smoothly, as elections in Pinal County have historically done prior to this primary,” said Jeffrey McClure, chairman of the Board of Supervisors.