Could AI help pull data from voter registration forms? Maricopa County wants to explore it

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer is exploring using artificial intelligence to aid in pulling data from voter registration forms and other recorded documents.

A bid proposal put out by his office in March seeks applicants for "a solution to improve processes around document identification, data extraction, and comparing handwritten signature images with on-file signature images by way of artificial intelligence." He hopes to use the technology to "improve internal processes and streamline workflow," according to the pitch.

The move could greatly reduce his staff's workload. Spokesperson Sierra Ciaramella said Recorder's Office employees spend "thousands" of hours per week reviewing and manually processing papers that come in to be officially documented.

Meanwhile, the county has continued to grow at an unrelenting pace. Its population has more than doubled since 1990, census data shows. From 2020 to 2023, it recorded a gain of 140,812 people — representing about 60% of the state's total population boom during that period.

More people means more deeds, voter registration forms and other documents to record for Richer and his team.

The bid proposal comes after repeated concerns from some Republicans over signature verification for early ballots, a process that serves to check voters' identities and prevent fraud. Last year, GOP state lawmakers questioned whether Maricopa County used artificial intelligence while verifying voter signatures in 2022 — even after county election officials publicly said they hadn't.

Ciaramella said any artificial intelligence tool would not be used to verify voter signatures on early ballots, and any documents recorded with assistance from artificial intelligence would be subject to a human check.

"We are exploring tools to help us process and index recorded documents and paper voter registration forms so we can better utilize county resources, while ensuring staff continues to review everything," she said. "Anything having to do with signatures is strictly limited to the recordation function of our office."

She also framed the move as a way to prevent property fraud and other schemes. While the technology won't be used to compare voter signatures, it could be used to compare signatures on recorded documents with other signature records and flag ones that could be suspect upon a law enforcement officer's request.

Maricopa County, like other jurisdictions across the country, has seen an increase in recent years of property crimes like title theft. The fraud is made easier than ever by electronic filings and a tight real estate market with desperate buyers less likely to ask too many questions.

"We are researching all avenues to potentially assist in providing information for investigations regarding document fraud detection," Ciaramella said. "This would just be another potential tool to support investigators and law enforcement."

AI isn't used in verifying voter signatures, but some still worry

County election officials have long assured the public that artificial intelligence is not used in the signature verification process.

But Republican state Reps. Jacqueline Parker and Alex Kolodin said they remained worried about the potential in a letter to Runbeck Election Services, a private company that prints and scans ballots for the county.

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"We question whether legislation is necessary to ensure that county elections officials do not have unchecked discretion to use artificial intelligence technology in Arizona's elections," they wrote.

Former Attorney General Mark Brnovich also falsely alleged in 2022 that the countyrelied on artificial intelligence instead of human review to verify signatures. His comments came during an appearance on former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s podcast.

The county does use a program to detect whether there is a signature on unopened early ballot envelopes and sort them. That is part of the scanning process performed by Runbeck.

But the company does not verify signatures and attorneys for Runbeck wrote in a response to Parker and Kolodin that the program, called Verus Pro, does not utilize artificial intelligence.

They said the application counts the number of marked pixels in each scanned image of the ballot's signature box. It uses that number to calculate a ratio of marked pixels to unmarked pixels in the box. Then, it compares that ratio to a predetermined threshold to determine whether a signature is present.If the tool indicates a signature isn't present, a staff member reviews the envelope to confirm.

Reporter Jimmy Jenkins contributed reporting to this article.

Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip to share on elections or voting? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AI could help pull data from Maricopa County voter registration forms