The Pinal County Board of Supervisors has called a special session for Tuesday afternoon to address problems with roughly 63,000 faulty ballots mailed out last week to voters on the Active Early Voting List (AEVL) for the Aug. 2 Primary Election.
On Friday, county officials confirmed roughly 46,000 voters who live within the limits of seven cities and towns received early ballots without any municipal races such as mayor, council, and local bond overrides. Another 17,000 or so voters who live in unincorporated areas of Pinal County received ballots containing municipal races the voters are not eligible for.
Pinal County officials had announced Friday that a supplemental ballot would be sent to many of those voters, but that plan is now on hold while multiple options are considered. The county board also wants to obtain legal advice before moving forward with a resolution.
“Our hope is to have one solution that works for everyone,” Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer said Monday, adding that “everything” is being explored as an option.
One such resolution being discussed is a special election in each of the affected municipalities. It is an option that one longtime county recorder in southern Arizona says poses a lot of “what ifs” and “if that, then this” possibilities which need to be considered moving forward.
Cochise County Recorder David Stevens pointed out that any special election raises concerns about timing, as some municipal races could require a runoff during the Nov. 8 General Election. And general election ballots must be printed in September so voters on AEVL can have their ballots mailed out Oct. 12.
Another question Stevens noted is whether a special election would be conducted entirely by mail or mail along with in-person voting. And who will be eligible to vote must also be determined, Stevens noted.
According to Stevens, it is statistically likely that some voters will lose eligibility over the next few weeks due to moving. In the meantime, other new voters will become registered who were not eligible to vote in the Aug. 2 primary election. Those eligibility issues must be considered, Stevens noted.
The incorrect ballots sent to AEVL voters represent roughly one-half of the primary election ballots which hit Pinal County voters’ mailboxes last Wednesday. By Thursday night there were reports circulating on social media of missing races on some ballots while voters in unincorporated areas of the county received ballots for city or town elections.
A county spokesman announced Friday that voters whose ballots errantly contained municipal races should complete the ballots as normal for all the federal, state, and county races. Any votes cast for the local races would not be tabulated.
The spokesman also announced that following discussions with the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office the impacted voters within the seven municipalities should complete the ballot they received and then await a “supplemental” ballot for the local contests.
However, on Monday afternoon the county announced the supplemental ballot idea was “being re-evaluated by the County Attorney’s Office,” In the meantime, Volkmer stressed that voters who received a ballot without the municipal races should “not wait on us” while Pinal County officials strive to figure out the best resolution.
“Go vote now,” Volkmer stated, adding that he is aware of the possibility of a legal challenge no matter what option or options the county makes.
There is also concern with whether the county board of supervisors can canvass only the federal, state, and county elections results soon after Aug. 2, and leave the municipal races for a separate canvass at a later date.