When the whole ballot is right out, there’s always the write-in.
Jerome Town Council filled out all its seats in the Aug. 30 primary election thanks to write-in candidate Jay Kinsella. There were only four names on the ballot for five spots on council.
Not only did Kinsella defeat his only other write-in rival, who garnered 28 votes, he received more votes than all but one named candidate. Frank Vander Horst took 110 votes to Kinsella 105. The next highest was Hunter Bachrach, at 103.
Kinsella said he ran because of his love and commitment to the town, as well as the fact that not enough people had pulled packets as the election neared.
Kinsella has name recognition, having served on council before as the mayor. He was also the only one of those running confirmed to send out any mailer promoting his campaign, which Councilwoman Alex Barber said significantly helped him. Barber received 88 votes herself, which earns her another term.
She said as far as needing a write-in goes, that usually isn’t the case. In her experience, just enough people run to be elected into office. Last term’s primary election was a turn to the opposite, as 11 people ran.
Outgoing Councilman Doug Freund said the drastic swing between the two elections might be due to increased state intervention in town matters, which make it seem town elections do not matter to residents. Freund cited Senate Bill 1350 as one of these overreaches, which limits how towns regulate short-term rentals. Freund also cited this specific law as the reason he decided not to run again.
Before the results rolled out, Kinsella admitted to uncertainty as to whether he’d win.
“It’s Jerome. You’re never confident,” he said.
Even with the write-in process, he said the election was smooth and fairly normal for Jerome. He said that the issues he wants to focus on involve proper communication between businesses and the tourists that support them and the rest of the full-time residents.
Barber looked ahead to issues of infrastructure, particularly road maintenance, while Freund chimed in that water levels are still a major issue, as the drop in wells in 2013 has never been recovered or explained.
At the Sept. 13 Town Council meeting, Mayor Lew Currier oversaw the approval of the election results, which included him receiving 80 votes. A total of 173 votes were cast, with seven being rejected. Each candidate needed at least 53 votes to ensure a seat and not go into a runoff in the general election.
As the matter was being run through, Currier said he didn’t understand the voting process, specifically the magic number of 53.
It was explained that the total votes were divided by the number of seats available to get the number, but Currier then replied that he didn’t get why it couldn’t be simpler, just the top vote getters. In the end, he smiled and threw up his hands as he abstained from the otherwise unanimous vote.
Write-in Rules
Several voters also were perplexed by certain rules, specifically the process in being a write-in candidate. It was unknown to some that in order for a write-in vote to count, that person must have signed up to become a candidate and go through the process. Therefore, 16 write-ins were not counted in this election.
There are several reasons for this process. First, fictional names are not counted, which, according to Yavapai County Elections Director Lynn Constable, can get obscene.
“What doesn’t work is voters writing in Mickey Mouse, Bigfoot or other things I can’t say,” she said.
There i s also the possibility that someone may be elected that was not seeking office. Typically, write-ins also come into play when someone is running unopposed, and a protest candidate is written in.
“They’re wasting their vote,” Constable said.
Though those votes do not count officially, they are set aside and tallied. Official write-ins are posted online prior to elections and are also posted within polling places on election day.
Despite these reasons, some residents want these votes to count.
Carrie Sorrels is one of those who voted.
Though she would not say who, she did say she voted for someone who expressed interest in council and that “he would be a better mayor for this town.”
She was not aware that the person had to have signed up and go through most of the normal candidacy process.
She thinks all votes should count, regardless of what they say, and in the event a person is elected against his will, he should have to step down after the fact. Sorrels saw this as more democratic and worth additional election costs that may come as a result.
“Isn’t that what write-ins are all about?” she said.
She said the major issue facing the town was the same as in the past. Money, and how it will be spent, was the key part.
Despite this, she feels the election was fair and just.
Another voter, who asked not to be named due to her political views, agreed.
This is important for more grassroots efforts that may come after candidate deadlines, she said.
She pointed to the fact that an actual candidate may step down soon after being elected anyway.
As far as the ease of figuring out who to write in, she said that in a small town like Jerome, it was fairly easy, as everyone knows one another.
