PHOENIX — A 19-year-old Arizona State University student is about to run the court clerk’s office for the nation’s fourth-largest county, ABC15 reported.
Republican Jeff Dial, a former state senator, called Democrat Sebastian Matta on Wednesday to concede the Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court race, both candidates told ABC15.
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, Matta led 53.4% to 46.6%, according to county results cited by ABC15. KTAR News reported Matta had 689,669 votes to Dial’s 602,745.
Matta graduated from high school last year and studies philosophy of law, politics and morality at ASU, according to ABC15. He told the station he plans to move his classes online and keep working toward his degree while serving as clerk.
“I understand it’s very scary to have a 19 year old be your boss, but I’m not just any 19 year old,” Matta told ABC15, adding that he plans to spend his first months getting to know the staff and assuring them their jobs are safe.
Dial and others criticized Matta during the campaign for filing campaign finance reports late. Matta told ABC15 his accountant “went dark” on him and said that will not be an issue in an office with a full staff.
The clerk’s office processes about 15,000 documents and nearly half a million dollars every day, according to ABC15. Matta’s priorities include expanding e-filing to probate cases and improving foreign-language access in the courts.
In a statement, Dial thanked his volunteers and election workers and said he hopes the clerk’s office “finds great success in the future.”
Sources: ABC15, KTAR News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Nyttend / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
