The first update to the initial ballot totals released by Yavapai County’s Election Department arrived this morning at nearly four o’clock, with just over 90,000 ballots having been counted.
In the races for the State Legislature, Republican Mark Finchem easily won the state senate seat in District One with 65 percent of the vote, while Representatives Quang Nguyen and Selena Bliss also won re-election by a wide margin.
Proposition 478, the proposal by the City of Prescott to raise the sales tax by nearly a full percentage point to fund police and fire facilities and personnel, is also expected to be passed by Prescott residents. As of this morning, 11,916 residents voted yes, while 8,719 voted no. With passage, the increased sales tax will go into effect on April first.
Proposition 479, the Yavapai County home rule proposal, also passed by a wide margin, which will increase the county’s expenditure limit and allow the county to tap previously unused funds.
In the race for Prescott Unified School District Governing Board, six candidates vied for three seats, and as of this morning, Jennifer Bergamini was in the overall lead, followed closely by Brett Mangum. Both candidates have polled over 12,000 votes. Andy Fraher is in third place with 9,836 votes, followed by Linda Conn with 8,771. Pamela Ray is in fifth, followed by Kelli Morey in sixth.
For Humboldt Unified School District Governing Board, the top three vote-getters are Mary Ann Dellinger with 9,741 votes, Bruce Sprague with 8,642 votes, and Sue Unverricht with 8,351 votes. Zack Garfield is fourth with 7,098.
For the Chino Valley Unified School District Governing Board, the top three vote-getters are Beverly Granillo with 3,286 votes, Annie Trujillo-Mortensen with 3,280 votes, and Inger Johnson with 3,066 votes. Daryl Lassen received 2,825 votes.
For Yavapai Superior Court District Five Judge Henry Whitmer won with 35,344 votes to Danalyn Savage’s 29,254 votes.
In Yavapai College Governing Board District One, William Kiel won with 6,660 votes to Ray Sigafoos’s 6,090 votes.
In the race for Congress, Eli Crane beat out Democrat challenger Jonathan Nez in Yavapai County with 56,523 votes to 30,958 votes. In the race for president, Donald Trump easily carried Yavapai County with 58,247 votes to Kamala Harris’s 30,471 votes.