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[00:00:04]

OKAY, I'LL START NOW. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. WELCOME TO THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.

[ CALL TO ORDER]

TODAY IS MONDAY, AUGUST 3RD. I CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER THIS MORNING.

SUPERVISOR JENKINS WILL DO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

YAY. THANK YOU. PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS.

ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

THANK YOU. JAMIE. CAN YOU DO THE ROLL CALL? CHAIR COMPTON.

HERE. VICE CHAIR CHECK HERE. SUPERVISOR JENKINS.

HERE. SUPERVISOR KUKNYO. HERE. SUPERVISOR MALLORY.

HERE. YOU HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. LAUREN.

[1. Elections - Canvass results of the 2026 Primary Election held on July 21, 2026. ]

YOU'RE UP. ACTION NUMBER ONE. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING, VICE CHAIR COMPTON.

VICE CHAIR CHECK. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. ESTEEMED COLLEAGUES.

LAUREN CUSTIS, DIRECTOR OF ELECTIONS FOR YAVAPAI COUNTY.

WE ARE HERE TO CANVASS THE PRIMARY ELECTION, AND WE DO THAT BASED ON STATUTE.

SO TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO CANVASS THE ELECTION.

I NEED TO MOVE THIS A LITTLE BIT. NO. WE HAVE AN ECHO.

SO WHEN YOU'RE UP HERE WITH ME IN THE MIDDLE, YOUR VOICE IS OUT THERE.

OKAY. AND WHERE I SIT, I CAN'T, I CAN'T, IT'S OKAY.

I HEAR AN ECHO. IT'S OKAY. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. YOU'RE YOU'RE FINE.

IT'S JUST ME. I'M A LITTLE TALLER THAN THE. OKAY, SO HERE WE ARE TO CANVASS THE ELECTION.

TO BEGIN THE ELECTION, WE HAVE THE LAT. AND THAT IS WHAT WE DO IS WE PRETEST THE SYSTEM.

WE'VE NOT TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE. AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT WE DO PRETEST THE SYSTEM.

SO WE ON, ON JUNE 2ND, WE HELD AN INTERNAL LOGIC AND ACCURACY TEST.

WE RAN 5974 BALLOTS, AND OF COURSE, THEY MATCHED THE 100% TO OUR PREDETERMINED OUTCOME.

AND THAT IS BEFORE THE SOS LAT. SO THEN ON JUNE 16TH, THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE STAFF CAME WITH A PREDETERMINED OUTCOME WITH BALLOTS. THEY VOTED. WE DID NOT KNOW THE THE RESULTS.

WE TABULATED THOSE BALLOTS. THEY VOTED BALLOTS ON OUR BALLOT MARKING DEVICES.

WE TABULATED THOSE AS WELL. OUR RESULTS MATCHED 100% TO THEIR INTENDED OUTCOME.

WE THEN ALSO ON THE SAME DAY, HOLD A JURISDICTIONAL LAT FOR ALL THE CITIES AND TOWNS.

SO THE SOS ONLY TESTS FEDERAL AND STATE CANDIDATES.

WELL, THEN WE WILL TEST THE LOCAL JURISDICTIONS TARGETS AS WELL.

AGAIN VOTE BY MAIL. WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME.

27 DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION BALLOTS WERE MAILED.

THAT WAS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24TH. THERE WERE 19 OFFICIAL BALLOT DROP BOXES LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, AND 110,785 BALLOT PACKAGES WERE MAILED DURING THE ELECTION.

IN-PERSON EARLY VOTING STARTED 27 DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION, WHICH WAS ALSO WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24TH.

WE HAD THREE LOCATIONS AVAILABLE THE YAVAPAI COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING HERE, THE PRESCOTT VALLEY ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT IN PRESCOTT VALLEY, AND THEN THE YAVAPAI COUNTY ADMINISTRATION BUILDING IN COTTONWOOD.

WE HAD 27 VOTE CENTERS AVAILABLE ON ELECTION DAY.

THEY WERE OPEN FROM 6 A.M. TO 7 P.M. THERE WAS NO WAIT TIME, MORE THAN TEN MINUTES AT ANY OF THE VOTE CENTERS.

WE UPLOADED INITIAL RESULTS RIGHT AT 8 P.M. ON ELECTION NIGHT.

ALL BALLOTS WERE COMPLETE. TABULATION WAS COMPLETED BY THE END OF DAY ON THURSDAY THE 23RD.

PROVISIONAL AND CURED BALLOTS WERE TABULATED AND COMPLETED ON MONDAY, JUNE 27TH BY NOON.

WE HELD A POLITICAL PARTY HAND HAND COUNT AUDIT.

THAT WAS SATURDAY, JULY 25TH. WE HAD 12 REPUBLICANS AND 12 DEMOCRATS.

WE COUNTED HAND COUNTED 1% OF EARLY AND TWO VOTE CENTERS.

THE TOTAL BALLOT COUNT WAS 649 BALLOTS FROM EARLY AND 501 FROM THE VOTE CENTERS.

VOTE CENTER 19, WHICH WAS IN CAMP VERDE, AND VOTE CENTER 21 WAS FROM BAGHDAD.

AND THOSE WERE AGAIN RANDOMLY SELECTED BY OUR PARTY CHAIRS.

AGAIN, THEN AFTER THE ELECTION, AND THIS IS AGAIN, THIS GOES WITH THE INTERNAL LAT.

WE ALSO HOLD A POST-ELECTION LAT WITH THE EXACT SAME BALLOTS THAT WE RAN.

[00:05:01]

SO THE 5974 BALLOTS WERE AGAIN TABULATED JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SYSTEM IS STILL TABULATING THOSE BALLOTS CORRECTLY, AND THEY DID MATCH 100% TO THE PREDETERMINED OUTCOME.

SO HERE IS THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OR THE ELECTION.

SO 172,971 VOTERS WERE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE. 68,927 BALLOTS WERE TABULATED. 61,957 BALLOTS, OR 35.82%, WERE TABULATED.

SO THOSE WERE JUST FROM EARLY BALLOTS. ELECTION DAY BALLOTS 6922, OR 4% OF THE TURNOUT AND 48 PROVISIONALS, 0.03%. SO A TOTAL OF 39.85% TURNOUT. WE ONCE AGAIN, THIS TIME A LITTLE BIT, I'M GOING TO SAY EKED. WE EKED IT OUT. WE'RE STILL THE HIGHEST TURNOUT IN THE STATE.

GILA COUNTY WAS A CLOSE SECOND BY 38.55%. THE STATE VOTER TURNOUT WAS 27.47.

CHAIR. YES. LAUREN. DID I MISS IT? 110 BALLOTS WENT OUT, BUT WE HAVE 172,000 VOTERS. YES. SO THE REASON FOR THAT IS IT'S A PRIMARY.

AND NOT EVERYBODY WHO IS. GOTCHA. THANK YOU. YEAH.

OKAY. OOPS. SORRY. I'M GOING TO.

OKAY. SO WE JUST TALKED. THIS IS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A RECOUNT.

SO MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S AWARE OF THAT. THE CAMP VERDE COUNCIL MEMBER FOUR YEAR RACE.

WE HAVE CLOSER THAN ONE HALF OF 1% IN BETWEEN THE THIRD AND FOURTH CANDIDATES.

SO THAT IS AN AUTOMATIC RECOUNT. THE TOWN COUNCIL WILL CANVASS ON WEDNESDAY THE FIFTH.

THEY WILL GO TO COURT ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 6TH REQUESTING A COURT ORDER TO ORDER ME TO RECOUNT THOSE BALLOTS.

WE WILL HOLD THE OFFICIAL. WE HAVE TO RE LAT ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT FOR THE RECOUNT.

SO WE'LL HOLD THAT ON NOON ON MONDAY, AUGUST 10TH.

WE HAVE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD BECAUSE. THE WAY OUR ELECTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WORKS IS THAT IF YOU YOU CAN TELL IT TO ONLY COUNT ONE RACE. BUT IF YOU TABULATE ALL THE BALLOTS FROM THE ENTIRE ELECTION THAT DON'T HAVE THOSE RACES ON IT, IT SHOWS AS A BLANK BALLOT. AND WE HAVE TO THEN LOOK AT EVERY BALLOT.

SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'RE CHERRY PICKING THE CORRECT BALLOTS TO TABULATE OUT OF WHAT'S BEEN TABULATED.

SO WE ARE READY TO START THAT PROCESS TODAY. AND WE WILL THEN TABULATE THE CORRECT NUMBER OF BALLOTS AND SEND THOSE RESULTS BACK TO THE TOWN CLERK BY END OF BUSINESS ON AUGUST 12TH. CHAIR. YES. YEAH. THAT WAS GOING TO BE MY QUESTION.

HOW DO YOU PULL OUT JUST VOTERS THAT CAN VOTE WITHIN THE CAMP VERDE DISTRICT.

SO PEOPLE VOTE BY BALLOT STYLE. SO WE KNOW THAT.

32701 AND 32801 ARE THE BALLOT STYLES WITH THAT RACE ON IT.

AND WE CAN ACTUALLY GO BACK AND LOOK AT WHERE THOSE BALLOTS LIVE IN THE BATCHES THAT WERE RUN.

SO WE IT WILL TAKE US A LITTLE TIME. WE'VE GOT TO PULL.

WE HAD ABOUT 1400 BATCHES. WE HAVE TO PULL BALLOTS FROM 323 BATCHES.

SO WE'VE ALREADY NARROWED IT DOWN. AND WE WILL THEN BE PULLING THOSE OUT.

WE WILL BE MAINTAINING CHAIN OF CUSTODY. WE'RE GOING TO BE PUTTING IN A PLACEHOLDER.

WE WILL THEN TABULATE THAT BALLOT. THAT BALLOT WILL COME BACK TO THE SAME BATCH IT LIVED IN BEFORE AT THE END OF THE RECOUNT.

OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? I JUST SAY, WOW, I GUESS YOU WOULD HOPE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO RECOUNTS TOO OFTEN. YEAH. YOU KNOW, RECOUNTS ARE A THING THAT WE HAVE TO DO.

I DON'T MIND IT. IT IS TEDIOUS. IT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO DO.

IF THERE'S GOING TO BE A RECOUNT, I'D PREFER IT TO BE A STATEWIDE SO THAT YOU KNOW THAT EVERY BALLOT HAS THAT RACE AND WE DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK AND CHERRY PICK.

BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE'RE DOING A JURISDICTIONAL ELECTION.

SO WE'RE GOING TO TRY THIS METHOD AND SEE HOW THIS WORKS.

BUT IF WE TABULATED ALL 68,000 BALLOTS, WE WOULD BE SPENDING MORE THAN A WEEK LOOKING AT EVERY BALLOT AS A BLANK BALLOT AND VERIFYING THAT THAT RACE DOES NOT LIVE ON THAT BALLOT. RIGHT. SO WE THINK THAT WE'RE THIS IS GOING TO BE LESS TIME CONSUMING IN THE END.

I REALLY APPRECIATE THE EXPLANATION. THAT'S HELPFUL.

THANK YOU. YOU'RE VERY WELCOME. SO I'VE GOT EVERYTHING READY TO GO.

[00:10:01]

AS SOON AS WE'RE DONE HERE, I'M HEADING TO FEDEX.

SO THIS IS WHAT IS GOING TO BE SENT TO THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE SO THEY CAN HOLD THE STATEWIDE CANVASS CERTIFICATION OF ELECTION RESULTS.

STATEMENT OF VOTES CAST. ELECTION SUMMARY REPORT.

PROVISIONAL BALLOT REPORT. REJECTED BALLOT REPORT.

VOTE CENTER ADA COMPLIANCE REPORT, POLL WORKER TRAINING REPORT, POLITICAL PARTY BALLOT REPORT, AND THE HAND-COUNT AUDIT. OKAY. SO WE ARE HERE FOR YOU TO, WELL, LET ME REMIND EVERYONE THAT YOU DID RECEIVE YOUR UNOFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS PRIOR TO THIS MEETING.

AND THEN AS SOON AS YOU ALL HAVE ARE VOTED VOTING ON THIS, WE WILL, ASSUMING YOU PASS THE CANVAS, WE WILL CHANGE THE RESULTS ON OUR WEBSITE TO THE OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS.

AND IF YOU DON'T MIND, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO SAY MY THANKS BECAUSE IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME.

WE CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT OUR COUNTY PARTNERS AND OUR COMMUNITY.

SO OF COURSE, ALL OF YOU, YOUR STAFF, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, PHIL, MARTY AND JAMIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR KEEPING ME EVEN KEELED.

OUR ELECTION STAFF ARE AMAZING. RECORDER KAREN MCCRACKEN, MATT WEBER, AND THE VOTER REGISTRATION STAFF, PUBLIC WORKS, THEIR DRIVERS, THEY DRIVE OUT OUR DELIVERY TRUCKS FOR US FACILITIES AND THE SWITCHBOARD STAFF FLEET FOR ALL THE CARS.

AND I APOLOGIZE TO OTHER DISTRICT DEPARTMENTS THAT WE TOOK ALL THE CARS, BUT THE COUNTY'S, COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, FINANCE, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND THE VIPS THAT FOLLOW OUR RESULTS.

AND AT THE END OF THE NIGHT JUST REALLY WONDERFUL HUMAN RESOURCES AND RISK MANAGEMENT FOR HELPING US HIRE ALL OF OUR SEASONAL STAFF.

THE TREASURER'S OFFICE, OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, IT'S INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORKING AND CYBERSECURITY WHO MONITORS ALL OF OUR COMINGS AND GOINGS ON ELECTION NIGHT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE SAFE.

ALL OF OUR 47 SEASONAL STAFF THAT WE HIRED, NEARLY 300 POLL WORKERS, THE YAVAPAI COUNTY ELECTION INTEGRITY COMMITTEE, OUR ACTIVE POLITICAL PARTIES, POLL OBSERVERS AND HAND COUNT WORKERS ALL OF OUR VOTE CENTER LOCATIONS, 27 CHURCHES, BUSINESSES COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT THEM.

BIOMECHANICS OVER AT TRIPLE C FOR ALLOWING US TO USE THEIR PARKING LOT.

THE LIBRARY, DISTRICT AND FIDUCIARY FOR THEIR PATIENTS.

WITH ALL THE PARKING SHENANIGANS OVER AT TRIPLE C AND ALL THE CALLS AND NOTES OF OF ENCOURAGEMENT THAT REALLY LIFTS OUR HEARTS.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THE WHAT AND THE VOTERS, ALTHOUGH WE WISH WE WOULD HAVE HAD MORE OF THEM, WE APPRECIATE OUR VOTERS TREMENDOUSLY. YOU STILL EKED IT OUT THOUGH.

SAY AGAIN? WE STILL GOT THE MOST. WE STILL GOT THE MOST THE MOST IMPORTANT PART.

SO ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? SUPERVISOR KUKNYO.

YOU KNOW, WHAT GOT ME WAS I SAW THE BOXES OF THE BALLOTS THAT CAME IN LATE.

I THINK YOU HAD LIKE 849, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THAT CAME IN AND COULDN'T BE COUNTED BECAUSE THEY CAME IN AFTER THE ELECTION WAS OVER.

YOU KNOW, I, I HATE THE AND SOME OF THESE RACES WERE RAZOR THIN, LIKE IN PRESCOTT VALLEY AT CAMP VERDE.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE WE CAN DO TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO NOT USE THE US POSTAL SERVICE.

AND I THINK WHAT WE'RE AT, WE'RE AT ABOUT WHAT PERCENTAGE COMES BACK BY BY POSTAL SERVICE.

SO I'M SORRY, SAY AGAIN WHAT PERCENTAGE COMES BACK FROM POSTAL SERVICE? I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE THAT NUMBER, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE WERE 600 AND SOME THAT CAME BACK LATE.

WE'RE AT 859 RIGHT NOW, WHICH WAS SINCE THE I HAD THE RESULTS FOR THE CANVASS.

SO WE ARE AWARE THAT THE POST OFFICE HAS CHANGED THEIR PROCESS, THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER HOLDING BALLOTS THAT ARE, ARE DROPPED IN THEIR BLUE BOX OUT FRONT FOR US TO PICK UP.

THEY'RE ACTUALLY SENDING THEM DOWN TO PHOENIX FOR PROCESSING AND THEN SENDING THEM BACK, WHICH BEFORE WE WOULD GO OVER TO THE POST OFFICE AT 6:45 AT NIGHT, PICK UP ANYTHING THAT HAD BEEN DROPPED OFF THAT DAY OR THE DAY BEFORE.

AND THEN GO AHEAD AND PROCESS THAT. BUT I THINK THEY'VE CHANGED THEIR PROCESS.

SO CAN WE GET THAT EVEN MORE? I, I, IT'S A, IT'S A DECISION THAT THE POST OFFICE MADE, BUT WE COULD CALL THEM.

ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TRY OUR DARNDEST TO LET OUR VOTERS KNOW TO NOT MAIL THEIR BALLOTS AFTER ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE, TO THE ELECTION, BECAUSE IT DOES TAKE TIME NOW.

IT GOES TO PHOENIX, IT GETS PROCESSED, IT GETS SHIPPED BACK.

SO IF WE DON'T HAVE IT IN OUR POSSESSION BY 7 P.M.

ON ELECTION NIGHT, IT IS LATE AND IT WILL NOT BE TABULATED.

OKAY. I MOVE TO APPROVE THE CANVASS RESULTS OF THE 2026 PRIMARY ELECTION HELD ON JULY 21ST, 2026. I'LL SECOND THAT. CALL FOR THE VOTE. VICE CHAIR CHECK.

YES. SUPERVISOR JENKINS. AYE. SUPERVISOR KUKNYO.

[00:15:03]

YES. SUPERVISOR MALLORY. YES. CHAIR COMPTON. YES.

ACTION ITEM NUMBER ONE HAS BEEN APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, LAUREN. THANK YOU, SIR. VICE CHAIR.

DO WE HAVE ANY GREEN SHEETS? I DON'T HAVE ANY GREEN SHEETS FROM CALL TO THE PUBLIC.

OKAY, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED. THANK YOU.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.