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After 12 years as Coconino's county recorder, Patty Hansen is retiring after her term ends this year.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the right time to retire,鈥� Hansen said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been such a turnover in election officials across the country, and so I think as new people come in, they鈥檒l bring new ideas and new energy to things.鈥�

The two people running for recorder in her place are Aubrey Sonderegger and Bob Thorpe. If Thorpe wins, it will be the first time since 1927 that a man has been a recorder in Coconino County.聽

Hansen was first elected in 2012. Under her leadership, Coconino County has created mobile voter registration and early-voting services out to the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe. Rather than having to commute anywhere between an hour and three hours into the city where elections sites are located, Hansen made an option for people who live in more rural areas of the county to vote. She said it was one of her biggest accomplishments as recorder.

鈥淚 think our democracy is strongest when everyone鈥檚 voices are heard,鈥� Hansen said.

During the primary and general elections, a van will drive out to various parts of the county with a voting machine and poll workers. It brings the polling site to voters rather than voters needing to make an excursion to vote.

Hansen also helped set up a system in which a voting machine could read to a voter in the Navajo or Hopi languages, known more for being vocal than written languages. Eslir Musta, director of the elections office, said Hansen was the 鈥渟trongest pillar鈥� within the recorder鈥檚 office because of her work creating more access to voters on the reservations.

鈥淭here鈥檚 such a tremendous value because voting is about access, and sometimes access takes different shapes and forms,鈥� Musta said. 鈥淭he people that are in very rural areas, it is very important to have them participate, have them feel that their voices are heard, and their voices are a part of the process. That makes our communities better and their communities stronger.鈥�

Other notable achievements that Hansen listed were implementing an optical scan to read ballots more clearly and increased early-voter registration across the county. Overall, there was a shift in how voting and registration was handled into a more electronic approach while Hansen was in office.

鈥淧art of [Hansen鈥檚] legacy here with our county is her close participation and close involvement and support of election processes,鈥� Musta said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always been focused on voters -- not political parties or particular issues. That legacy is what we are all hoping to carry forward as Patty retires.鈥�

Before moving to Flagstaff, Hansen lived in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota in Ramsey County. She never ran for any elected position but did help in the elections office as an administrator. Prior to that she also worked as an administrator in Nebraska.

In total, Hansen has worked in elections for over three decades.

鈥淚 have been so lucky that I have been able to spend almost my entire adult life working in a profession that I feel passionate about,鈥� Hansen said. 鈥淚 feel proud of what I鈥檝e been able to do, and I don鈥檛 know if everyone has that opportunity. It is an honor to be involved in the actual democracy.鈥�

Hansen鈥檚 desk is stacked high with papers, files and a rainbow of other documents. With the election days away, the Coconino County Elections Office works closely with Hansen and the recorder鈥檚 office to ensure that voting runs smoothly.聽

The election鈥檚 office is expecting record-breaking voter turnout on Election Day. As a result, Hansen, Musta and their team have been preparing for numbers far exceeding their expectations in order to prepare for a longer-than-average wait time.

This year Coconino County has the longest ballot in its history at 19-inches, so the offices are preparing for longer lines.

The county has about 450 poll workers across 38 different polling locations who they will help on Nov. 5. They have voting sites in Flagstaff, Freedonia, Tuba City and Havasupai.

All poll workers throughout the polling sites are locals to that area. According to Musta, when they deploy locals to work at their election sites, voter fraud is less likely to occur.

鈥淭he biggest thing for us is that we see the administration of elections very much by local people,鈥� Musta said. 鈥淚f you have a former teacher, or nurse, or coworker, or family member that is working at your polling place in your community, you鈥檙e less likely to be swayed or puzzled by misinformation or misunderstandings in the process.鈥�

While being counted, the ballots are in the most secure room in the elections office. There is a team of three people, a Republican, a Democrat, and an Independent or other party helping to count and tabulate the votes. There are no phones, smart watches or personal electronic devices of any kind allowed in the room, and it is streamed live on the county's website.聽

Musta emphasized that everything related to voting is a bipartisan system. Democrats are not the only people working the polls nor are Republicans the only ones counting the votes.

All parts of the voting system are bipartisan so that there is as little bias as possible, he said.

Although Hansen will now be retiring, she said this will not stop her from participating in election work. She said she will continue to volunteer and work on the advocacy side of elections and added that she wants to fight voter suppression laws.