In a presentation to the Navajo County Board of Supervisors last week, County Manager Bryan Layton outlined the measures and procedures in place to ensure the integrity and security of elections within Navajo County.
During call to the public at the beginning of the meeting several residents from various parts of Navajo County voiced their concerns regarding election processes and voter roll integrity. Renee Roll from Taylor highlighted inefficiencies in maintaining accurate voter rolls, citing over 300 cases of potentially ineligible voters that remain unresolved. She stressed the need for improved processes to handle cases of deceased voters and out-of-state registrations and advocated for legislative changes to enhance the transparency and accuracy of voter registration.
James Archer Wilton, representing the Libertarian Party in Navajo County, expressed concerns about the lack of equal representation for Libertarian voters. He criticized the high barriers to ballot access faced by third-party candidates and urged the county to ensure fair treatment for all political affiliations.
Kelly Garden and Celia Laughlin also shared their perspectives. Garden focused on the need for accountability in handling voter fraud, while Laughlin from Overgaard questioned the security of electronic voting systems and advocated for backup hand counting procedures to ensure election integrity.
This is a topic that has been brought up during call to the public consistency since the election cycle began. Layton started the presentation, “We asked residents to share with us their questions and concerns about the election process.” He stressed the importance of transparency and public involvement in understanding and refining the electoral processes.
Layton highlighted the collaborative efforts with local party leaders to gather and address these concerns. “We reached out to the Democrat and the Republican party chairs and asked them if they would take information that we were getting on our website and be able to address the questions.”
Addressing election security, Layton provided an in-depth explanation of the voting process, from ballot printing to vote counting, emphasizing the adherence to state laws and statutes. He detailed the secure handling and verification processes at voting centers, “So a voter comes in, shows their ID, they are checked in to our system, and then once they’re verified and checked in, they receive a little slip of paper like this and identifies that they’re a registered voter and identifies which ballot style they need to vote correctly.”
On the topic of mail-in voting, which has been a subject of much public scrutiny and comments to the board, Layton reminded the audience that, “The right to vote by mail is set by state statute and cannot be changed by the Board of Supervisors.”
Layton also touched upon the transparency of the election night processes, highlighting that “On election night, everything’s streamed live. Anybody can watch streamed on our website.” This open approach is part of a broader strategy to ensure that the public remains fully informed about the electoral process.
The presentation concluded with an affirmation of the ongoing commitment to electoral integrity: “We have great people who are professionals who are trying their best to conduct elections with integrity and support our communities.”
In other business, the board:
* Approved an amendment to extend the contract with Ryan Rapp Pacheco Sorensen, PLC for legal counsel for retirement systems for one additional year.
* Approved removal and abatement of taxes for certain properties determined to be uncollectible for various reasons.
* Approved a contract with Sentinel Technologies, Inc for cybersecurity software replacing current software with no additional funding needed.
* Approved an amendment to extend the contract one year with WLB Group for design services for the Porter Mountain Road culvert replacement project.
* Approved grant application to Fort McDowell for a new self-contained breathing apparatus fill station.
* Canceled the Oct. 8, Board of Supervisors meeting.
* Approved tax waivers for individuals on the widow, widowers or disabled people list who filed a request.
* Approved an agreement with MicroAge to provide a backup system that meets the county insurance pool requirements at a three-year cost of $407,255.
* Authorized staff to complete the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Formula grant application with the U.S. Department of Energy.
* Approved a memorandum of understanding with Community Bridges, Inc. to provide peer support services in the county’s detention center.
* Approved a contract extension for the county’s contract with Comapp Technologies, LLC and Combined Public Communications, LLC by two years for phone, video visitation, email and tablet services to the county.
* Approved an intergovernmental agreement for participation in the Arizona Child Abduction Response Team.
* Approved a contract amendment with CellularOne of North East Arizona to add several antennas around the county. The cost of the total contract including this amendment is $17,000 plus $5,075 monthly.
* Approved a contract with Youturn, LLC for substance abuse and mental health resources, which is paid for by grant money received by the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office.
* Approved a proclamation declaring May 5-11, as National Correctional Officers’ Week.
* Authorized a correction for a grant agreement in which the county wrote the wrong contract number.
* Approved a cooperative agreement with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
* Approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Navajo Nation for road maintenance at a cost not to exceed $155,000.
* Approved the Navajo County Attorney’s Office to take action consistent with legal advice given to them in executive session.
The next meeting of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors will be held at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 14, in the board chambers located at 100 E. Code Talkers Drive.
