Election/Election Integrity

19-Year-Old Democrat Defeats Republican In County At Center Of Election Integrity Debate

Screen Capture/PBS NewsHour

A 19-year-old Democrat was swept into office during Tuesday’s blue tsunami to become Clerk of the Superior Court for Maricopa County, Arizona — which received national attention during the 2020 election.

Sebastian “Seb” Matta, a student at Arizona State University, won the office for Superior Court clerk for the nation’s fourth-largest county with 53.3 percent of the vote beating former Republican State Sen. Jeff Dial by a near seven-point margin, according to results posted by the county.

Maricopa County made headlines during the 2020 presidential election after reports of widespread tabulator or printer issues affected voting centers, bringing questions about the integrity of the voting process.

The teen-elect became interested in the clerk’s office “at an early age,” when he visited it with his father as a toddler, his campaign bio states.

“Seb has been through public schools all his life, starting in kindergarten at Kenilworth Elementary. In second grade Seb started his second grade at Lookout Mountain Elementary in North Phoenix, followed by Mountain Sky Jr. High, and finally finishing off at Thunderbird High School,” Matta’s campaign website says.

Matta also lists involvement in extracurriculars, sports, speech and debate competitions and acting in four theater productions as part of his prior experience on the campaign site.

The former school actor defeated Dial, who served in both Houses of Arizona’s legislature over a seven-year period from 2010 to 2017.

Matta’s campaign office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

A memo obtained by the DCNF in 2022 alleged that 72 of the populous Arizona county’s 115 voting centers, or roughly 60%, experienced “material problems with the tabulators not being able to tabulate ballots,” resulting in “substantial voter suppression,” according to the memo submitted by a roving attorney for the Republican National Committee.

In July, the Department of Justice announced it would “send monitors to Maricopa County to monitor operations as part of the departments efforts to make sure state officials maintain records, prevent illegal voting, and keep elections free and fair—required by the Civil Rights Act of 1960, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.”

The Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court is a state constitutional office, that serves as the official record keeper and financial officer for the court.

“The County Clerk performs administrative, clerical, and customer service duties in support of court operations. Responsibilities include maintaining court records, preparing case documentation, assisting with courtroom proceedings, processing legal filings and payments, and providing procedural information to the public,” a job description on Government Jobs says. “The position requires accuracy, confidentiality, professionalism, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.”

Minimum qualifications are a high school diploma or equivalent and two years of experience in administrative support, records management, customer service, or a related field, the position adds. Preferred qualifications include an associate degree in criminal justice, public administration, business administration, or a related field as well as experience working in a court, government agency, legal office or similar environment.

Matta currently studies philosophy of law, politics, and morality at ASU, Election Law Blog reported.