Cochise County Jail District board certifies Nov. 4 special election; elections director reports 27.67% turnout

The Cochise County Jail District board voted unanimously on Nov. 13 to certify the results of the Nov. 4 special election after an elections department briefing on turnout and vote processing.

The elections representative, identified in the record as Yvette of the Cochise County elections department, told the board that "the special election was conducted in full compliance [with] statutory requirements and established election procedures." She reported that 83,512 voters were registered for the election and that 23,110 ballots were cast, producing a voter turnout of 27.67 percent. Yvette also said more than 56,000 ballots were sent as early ballots and 1,112 early ballots were dropped off at vote centers on election day.

Yvette described the vote-center schedule and equipment testing: pre-election logic-and-accuracy testing occurred Sept. 26 and Sept. 30, vote centers were staffed from Oct. 30 and on Nov. 3, all vote centers were open Nov. 4 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., the first results upload on election night was at 8:39 p.m. and the last was at 10:51 p.m., and final results were uploaded at 6:52 p.m. on Nov. 7. A post-election logic-and-accuracy test on Nov. 10 produced the same results as pre-election testing, she said.

Board members congratulated election winners mentioned in the record (Leonin and Sheriff Daniels) and noted the low turnout. One supervisor framed the certified outcome as avoiding immediate budget cuts, saying the result means they "don't have to raise property taxes" or cut services such as the library, according to the meeting record.

Supervisors asked about poll-worker staffing and whether workers are volunteers. Yvette said more than 100 poll workers checked in for the election and that there were seven signature verifiers. She clarified that poll workers receive stipends and payroll: the county's poll-worker payroll was cited at about $17,000–$20,000; training pay was roughly $35 (higher for remote sites), inspectors were paid $200, and marshals/clerks/judges about $120. "They're not really volunteers," one supervisor observed during the exchange; Yvette responded that workers "do get paid."

With no further discussion, the board approved the motion to certify the election results and directed that the certification be forwarded to the Cochise County Board of Supervisors. The chair recorded the motion as passing by three ayes.

The board announced its next regular meeting for Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. in the Supervisor's Hearing Room on Melody Lane and then adjourned.