Few ballots returned in Sunnyside recall

Voters in Sunnyside School District have been slow to return ballots in the all mail-in recall election that ends May 20. Just over 10 percent of ballots have been cast so far, the Pima County Recorder's Office said Wednesday.

All registered voters in the South Side school district — 26,424 of them — were mailed ballots. As of Wednesday, 2,767 ballots had been verified, Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez said in a news release.

That's a return rate of just 10.47 percent in the election. Ballots were mailed late last month.

On the ballot are sitting Governing Board members Bobby Garcia and Louie Gonzales. Beki Quintero and Mike Polak are running against Garcia, and former board member Eric Giffin is seeking to replace Gonzales.

The recall was pushed by opponents of Superintendent Manuel Isquierdo, whose contract was extended last year in a controversial 3-2 vote. Garcia, Gonzales and board member Eva Carillo Dong voted for the contract. Board members Buck Crouch and Daniel Hernandez voted against it.

A recall effort against Crouch and Hernandez last year was abandoned as supporters did not file petitions after failing to gather enough signatures to force a vote.

From the release from Rodriguez's office:

If a voter has not received their ballot, has spoiled their ballot or has lost their ballot, they can call the Recorder’s office at 724-4330 or stop by either the Recorder’s downtown location at 115 N. Church Avenue or the location at 6550 S. Country Club Road to order a replacement ballot. Completed ballots can also be dropped off at either of these locations.

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Voters are reminded that ballots must be received by the Recorder’s office no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, May 20, 2014. If you would like to mail your ballot back, we recommend mailing no later than Friday, May 16, 2014.

On Election Day, May 20, 2014, replacement ballots may be obtained for voters who have not received a ballot, have lost their ballot or spoiled their ballot and vote-by-mail ballots can be dropped off at any of the following sites:

• The Recorder’s Main Office – 115 N. Church Avenue open 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, May 20, 2014
• The Recorder’s Office Ballot Processing facility – 6550 S. Country Club Road open 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, May 20, 2014
• Apollo Middle School – 265 W. Nebraska Street open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, May 20, 2014

All three of these Replacement Ballot Sites, including Apollo Middle School, will be staffed by Recorder’s Office personnel on Election Day, May 20, 2014.