BISBEE, Ariz. (KGUN) — Cochise County is helping prepare for two special elections happening Tuesday in Benson and Douglas. There are roughly 10,000 eligible voters in the two cities.
Cochise County Recorder Bill Cloud said only 1,700 early ballots had been returned as of Monday morning, out of more than 8,600 sent out.
"We've had a pretty low return this time for both cities," Cloud said.
Cloud is encouraging voters who still have their mail-in ballots to bring them to their polling place rather than mailing them in, since it is too late for mailed ballots to be counted.
"If they haven't gotten the mail and hold on to it and go to your polling place tomorrow in Douglas or Benson to make sure your vote's counted," Cloud said.
In Benson, residents are choosing four new city council members after recalling Levi Johnson, Nick Maldenado, Darren Hayes, and Patrick Boyle. Only Benson residents— those living within city limits— are eligible to vote.
"A lot of people in and around Benson that are very actively involved in this election and the recall effort, but they can't vote in this election. They're very passionate about it one way or another, but they can't vote in tomorrow's election because they live just outside the city limit," Cloud said.
In Douglas, voters are deciding whether changes to the city charter can be made, including adjustments to the mayor's salary.
The county is charging both cities for the cost of ballots, though Cloud said the fees do not cover everything.
"Nobody makes any money. It's just to cover the cost for the county. It doesn't recoup the employee costs or anything. It's just the actual mailing costs and ballot printing costs," Cloud said.
The special election is also creating an unplanned financial burden for Benson. Having a special election means more ballots and more costs, and the city of Benson's recall is costing them about $3,000 — something they were not able to budget for since the recall happened after the fiscal year started.
"We're kind of hoping people will show up at the polling places tomorrow and cast their ballot for whatever their, whatever their choice is," Cloud said.
Ballot drop-off boxes were available at the Recorder's Office until 7 p.m. Monday. All voting must now take place at polling centers in Benson and Douglas.
Voting Centers:
Benson
Benson School District Board Room
360 S. Patagonia St.
Douglas
Cochise County Douglas Service Center
1012 N. G Ave.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
