SIERRA VISTA ELECTIONS SPECIAL EDITION www.CochiseCountyRecord.com | Sierra Vista, AZ | August 20, 2014
VOTER GUIDE August 26, 2014 Elections
COUNTY RECORDER: Early voting very slow
27,545 CITY VOTERS CAN DECIDE 5,000 expected to vote by mail; 7,000 expected Tuesday at polls
Turmoil results in uncertainties for candidates, voters
BISBEE, AZ – Two weeks before the August 26 elections, Juanita Simmons Murray was relieved of her duties as head of the Cochise County Elections Department. The County Board of Supervisors met in closed session last Monday [Aug 11] to discuss what to do about the management of the department after multiple complaints of serious errors committed by Simmons-Murray and/or her small staff. Deputy County Manager Jim Vlahovich was named Interim Elections Director but an independent contractor is being sought to oversee the next two elections. ....Continued on page 12
314 ballot types in Cochise County WARNING FROM
COUNTY ELECTIONS DEPT: it’s your responsibility as the voter to check and make sure that you have received the correct ballot.
IN THIS EDITION City and County Contact Data . . . . . . .pg 2 Publisher's Picks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg4 Voting map, locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pg 4 City of SV Organization Chart . . . . . .. .pg 6
LACK OF LOCAL NEWS PUTS DEMOCRACY AT RISK
HOW WILL SIERRA VISTA VOTERS LEARN ABOUT LOCAL ELECTION ISSUES, CANDIDATES ?
- SF, SO [Some fact, some opinion] by David M Morgan
City Council Candidates . . . . . . . . . . pg 8-9 Voter Identification Requirements . . . pg 11
If you receive a ballot that does not include city council races and you live in the city limits please notify the poll worker so you can be given the correct ballot. Cochise County has 49 election precincts. Of those, 16 are entirely or partially within the Sierra Vista city limits. These precincts include various jurisdictions (districts) such as the community college district, justice of the peace districts, school districts, fire districts, etc.
IN THE NEXT EDITION What was learned in the August elections? The growth of "independent" voters, candidates The Traffic Camera Initiative The Kings Court proposition The Importance of the Justice of the Peace
A very small percentage of Sierra Vista citizens and residents read the local newspaper regularly. We have no local TV station, nor local radio stations with local news. We have no public access channels on the local cable TV system. [The Sierra Vista city council approved in 2006 a new 15-year franchise agreement with Cox Communications without requisite for public access channels.] ....Continued on page 12
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******* ECRWSSEDDM *** RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER SIERRA VISTA, AZ
County Elections Chief Pushed Aside
WHAT DOES YOUR BALLOT LOOK LIKE?
CCR New Media Services via Allegra Marketing Tucson, AZ
Appointed Director Murray under fire, again
Despite many encouragements to vote early by mail, and rapidly growing numbers of voters who request early ballots, the rate at which they are being mailed back is slower than expected. “Very low numbers” said Cochise County Recorder Christine Rhodes last Friday. Her office receives all mail-in ballots. The sealed envelopes are scanned and quantified daily, but not opened. By the end of business Friday, Aug 15 – 10 days before the official election day - her office had mailed out 23,990 ballots as requested by Cochise County voters. 7,587 had been returned/voted, a little less than one-third. Sierra Vista voters represented about one-third of the number of early ballots requested but at the end of last week were returning voted ballots at a lower rate than several parts of the County. Douglas area was even slower, Bisbee substantially higher. ....Continued on page 14
PRSRT STD EDDM U.S. POSTAGE PAID Tucson, AZ Permit #414