YOUR RECORDS, YOUR CHOICE
Former State Senator and State Representative. Army Reserve veteran. Small-business owner. Husband and father.
He can’t handle his own paperwork. Don’t hand him yours.
Ran for Democratic precinct committeeman in his own precinct in July 2026. Even his Democratic neighbors did not elect him.
Experience
Running an office of about 670 people and a budget of more than $60 million.
Ethically challenged?
Every campaign finance report he has ever filed was late, including the one due October 15, which he submitted eight days late, at 2:33 in the morning. He endorsed another candidate while the Code of Conduct for Clerks says a clerk candidate shall not. He ran for a party office the Code says a clerk candidate may not hold. The Clerk must be impartial, in fact and in appearance, and must get the paperwork in on time. He acts as if the rules do not apply to him.
Thinks the rules apply to him?
The Clerk of the Superior Court keeps every record in the county’s trial courts. The job is paperwork done right and done on time, for people on the hardest days of their lives. So look at how each candidate handles his own.
Sebastian Matta filed his nominating petitions on the last day of the filing window: 4,371 signatures against a minimum of 4,061, 4,076 of them gathered online. About 700 of those came in on the Sunday before the deadline, gathered by paid mass texting; without that one day he is not on the ballot. Then he filed his first campaign finance report seven days late, his second five days late, and his third nine days late. The fourth was due October 15. He submitted it October 23, at 2:33 in the morning, eight days late.
The Code of Conduct for Clerks of Superior Court says a clerk candidate shall not hold an office in a political organization, and it names precinct committeeman as an example. He ran for precinct committeeman anyway, in the same election. His own Democratic neighbors did not elect him. The same Code says a clerk candidate shall not publicly endorse another candidate for any public office. In April he endorsed a candidate for Congress.
Four deadlines, one habit. That is not responsible, and for the office that exists to keep the rules, it is ethically challenged.
No means nothing on his campaign website or in the public record shows it. Every answer is documented below.
Jeff Dial. Experience. Integrity. Fair to everyone, and the rules apply to him too.
The documents behind every answer are below. Filing dates · Party office · The full record
Campaign finance reports for 2026: when each one was filed
Every candidate committee files its campaign finance reports with Maricopa County inside windows fixed by state law. Each row below is one of the four reports required so far in 2026. The vertical line is the day that report's filing window closed.
- Jeff Dial
- Sebastian Matta
The record, line by line
Public office held
Arizona House of Representatives, 2011 to 2015. Arizona Senate, 2015 to 2017.
Source. Ballotpedia, Jeff Dial; Arizona Legislature member records, 50th through 52nd Legislatures. Opponent: sebforclerk.com, about page, read October 16, 2026, lists no prior public office.
Laws enacted that are still on the books
Sponsored the law that created Arizona's Address Confidentiality Program, so a survivor of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking gets a substitute address and their real one stays out of public records. HB 2302, Laws 2011, Chapter 173.
Sponsored the law setting out the rights of people placed under guardianship by a court, part of the 2011 probate reform package. HB 2424, Laws 2011, Chapter 285.
Sponsored the law extending Arizona's library records privacy to e-books. HB 2165, Laws 2013, Chapter 89.
Sponsored the law letting drivers show proof of insurance on a phone, and included the clause that says doing so is not consent for an officer to look at anything else on the phone. HB 2677, Laws 2012, Chapter 105, now A.R.S. 28-4135(B).
Source. Arizona session laws, chapter numbers from the Arizona Legislature bill status system, apps.azleg.gov; chaptered texts on azleg.gov; all four also published at jeffdial.org/record/. Opponent: sebforclerk.com home, about and priorities pages, read October 16, 2026, list no legislation.
Protecting private records, which is this office's core job
Four enacted laws on records and privacy: the Address Confidentiality Program (HB 2302, 2011, Ch. 173); the rights of people placed under guardianship by a court (HB 2424, 2011, Ch. 285); library records privacy extended to e-books (HB 2165, 2013, Ch. 89); the phone-search clause now at A.R.S. 28-4135(B) (HB 2677, 2012, Ch. 105).
Also carried, and passed the Senate: a bill to require a search warrant before a person can be made to unlock a phone with a fingerprint or face, SB 1195, 2015. It did not become law.
Source. Same session law citations. SB 1195 (2015) passed the Senate and was not enacted, stated as such. Opponent: sebforclerk.com home, about and priorities pages, read October 16, 2026, state no records or privacy legislation, litigation or administrative work.
Managing operations, budgets and people
Chair, Arizona Senate Committee on State Debt and Budget Reform, 2015 to 2016.
Chair, Arizona House Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, 2013 to 2014.
Vice Chair, Arizona House Committee on Banking and Insurance, 2011 to 2012.
Oversaw company operations and quality control; managed personnel, marketing, technology and communications.
Source. Ballotpedia committee tables; Arizona Legislature standing committee assignment sheets, 50th through 52nd Legislatures; Jeff Dial's résumé of record. Opponent: sebforclerk.com home and about pages, read October 16, 2026, state no management, court, records or public administration role.
Campaign finance reports for 2026
All four reports due so far in 2026 were received inside their filing windows.
Q1 2026, window April 1 to 15, received April 15.
Q2 2026, window July 1 to 15, received July 15.
July Post-Primary, window July 22 to August 5, received July 27.
Q3 2026, window October 1 to 15, received October 15.
Three reports submitted after the filing window closed, and no fourth report on the county portal.
Q1 2026, window April 1 to 15, submitted April 22.
Q2 2026, window July 1 to 15, submitted July 20.
July Post-Primary, window July 22 to August 5, submitted August 14.
Q3 2026, window October 1 to 15: submitted October 23, 2026, eight days after the window closed.
Source. Maricopa County campaign finance portal, legacy.recorder.maricopa.gov/Elections/CampaignFinance/, re-pulled October 29, 2026 at 3:49 p.m. MST. Jeff Dial for Clerk of the Superior Court, committee 1002554: documents 55330, 55908, 55970 and 56364, each carrying a Maricopa County Elections Department received stamp, each filed on the Secretary of State report form, revision 2/6/2026. Sebastian Matta for Clerk of the Superior Court, committee 1002574: documents 55075 (amended 55372), 55869, 56024 with 56025, and 56575 (amended 56576), each a county Campaign Finance Online Filing printout headed "Candidate ID: 1002574" with a Date Submitted header generated by the county's online filing system. The Q3 report, document 56575, shows Date Submitted 10/23/2026 2:33:20 AM. Scope: both committees were required to file four reports covering 2026 periods so far, Q1, Q2, the July Post-Primary and Q3; the Q4 2026 report's window is January 1 to 15, 2027. Jeff Dial's committee also filed a 2025 Annual (Cumulative) Report, document 54874, received January 14, 2026, inside its January 1 to 15, 2026 window; it covers 2025 and sits outside this row. Filing windows: A.R.S. 16-927(C); Maricopa County 2026 Campaign Finance Handbook, revised February 9, 2026, page 12, Table 2; the county campaign finance web page; and the reporting period table on the face of the Secretary of State report form, revision 2/6/2026. All four agree.
Stated priorities for this office
Your records stay private.
Bring the courthouse to you.
Two offices, one purpose: you.
Protect your tax dollars.
Cut waste.
Tell you what this office does before you need it.
Allow probate cases to be initiated over the internet.
Raise awareness of the Clerk's Office.
Further expand language access.
Source. jeffdial.org/priorities/ and sebforclerk.com/priorities, both read October 16, 2026.
Political party office
Not a precinct committeeman. Holds no other political party office.
In the same July 21, 2026 primary, Sebastian Matta also sought Democratic Party office, running as an official write-in candidate for precinct committeeman in his home precinct. As of the county's October 1, 2026 list he holds no precinct committeeman office.
Source. Arizona Code of Judicial Administration, Section 1-308, Code of Conduct for Clerks of Superior Court, adopted by Administrative Order 2020-162 effective January 1, 2021, amended by Administrative Order 2021-165 effective November 10, 2021 and Administrative Order 2024-125 effective June 26, 2024. Rule 4.1(A)(1), General Activities, page 21: "However, a clerk candidate shall not do any of the following: (1) act as a leader in, or hold an office in, a political organization;" Comment 2 to Rule 4.1, page 22: "Public confidence in the independence and impartiality of the judiciary is eroded if clerks of superior court are perceived to be subject to political influence. Although clerks may register to vote as members of a political party, they are prohibited by paragraph (A)(1) from assuming leadership roles in political organizations. Examples of such leadership roles include precinct committeemen and delegates or alternates to political conventions. Such positions would be inconsistent with an independent and impartial judiciary." The Code's Terminology section provides that a person becomes a clerk candidate on a public announcement of candidacy, on declaring or filing with the election or appointment authority, on authorizing or engaging in solicitation or acceptance of contributions or support, or on nomination for election or appointment to office. Candidate record: Maricopa County Official Write-In and Withdrawn Candidates list dated June 16, 2026, Democratic precinct committeeman, Legislative District 2, precinct 0855 Turf Paradise; county list "Precinct Committeemen as of 10-01-2026"; Statement of Organization for committee 1002574, county stamped January 8, 2026. Jeff Dial: confirmed by the candidate September 2, 2026, and the October 1, 2026 county list contains no Dial.
Work experience
Executive role in a company, 2003 to 2013: oversaw operations and quality control; managed personnel, marketing, technology and communications. Since leaving the Legislature: managing operations, budgets, payroll, contracts and regulatory compliance.
At the time he filed his Statement of Interest for this office, August 3, 2025, his complete work history per his own LinkedIn profile was: Ramen Cook, Izakaya Ramen, May to June 2024, part time; Crew Member, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, August 2024 to January 2026, part time. Everything else on the profile began after he filed: a part-time sports commentator role from September 2025 and a one-month House page internship in January 2026. No management, supervisory or compliance role listed at any time.
Source. Jeff Dial: jeffdial.org/about (managing operations, budgets, payroll, contracts, and regulatory compliance) and his résumé of record (Executive Vice President, 2003 to 2013). Sebastian Matta: his public LinkedIn profile, linkedin.com/in/sebastian-matta0, captured February 12, 2026 (campaign file: 2026-10-16 Matta Evidence/2026-02-12 - Matta LinkedIn profile - Jeff's capture.pdf); his campaign website lists no employment. Statement of Interest filed August 3, 2025 (county candidate records).
Every line on this page comes from a public document: Arizona session laws, the Maricopa County campaign finance portal, the Arizona Code of Judicial Administration, Maricopa County election records, and each candidate's own campaign website. Where a cell is blank, the cited sources list nothing for it. Records as of October 29, 2026.
