By L. Parsons Navajo County held an election as part of the Arizona Presidential Preference process on March 17. According to Elections Director Rayleen Richards, “We usually have 39 polling places in the county, this election, we only used 38. I do believe the Covid-19 outbreak affected voter turnout but only moderately.” The turnout was only moderately affected because a large percentage of votes came from early mail in ballots. Of the 25,215 registered voters in Navajo County, 4,301 of those sent in early ballots. A total of 8,085 votes were cast. There was no Republican primary, this election was solely for those registered as Democrats to choose a candidate, with the front runner selection being Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former vice president Joe Biden. All 14 Navajo County precincts showed their preference to be Biden, which was also reflected on the state level. In the final count, Biden took 3,585 votes with Sanders collecting 2,617. The next election in Navajo County will be held on Aug. 4. Multiple offices will be on the ballot for that contest including that of sheriff, county school superintendent and county treasurer. Voters will also choose a U.S. senator and congressional representative as well as a state senator and representative. On a local level, voters can expect to see a Navajo County Board of Supervisors seat, county attorney and three superior court judges selected. For early ballot information please contact the Navajo County Elections office by visiting www.navajocountyaz.gov.
