Expect to see something a little unique this primary voting season.
For the primary election Aug. 4, there will be two write-in candidates that voters have the option of choosing.
In the mayoral race, write-in candidate Michael Werner will be joining Kurt Gehlbach and incumbent Sandy Moriarty. And on the council side, write-in candidate Edwin Larrieu will join candidates Kathy Kinsella, Holli Ploog and incumbent Jessica Williamson.
Stephen McGarry’s name will appear on the ballot even though he withdrew on May 18.
“This is the first time we have had a write-in candidate in the nine years I have been with the city of Sedona, and this year we have not one, but two,” City Clerk Susan Irvine said.
Edwin Larrieu
Larrieu said he’s chosen to run in order to give a voice to those often unheard — the homeless. He said he’d also like to address the busker ordinance, the Sedona Cultural Park’s future, the arts and workforce housing.
“I think what would make me a good candidate is that I listen to people, and I genuinely care about what people think,” he said. “I’m not a micro-manager. One of my strengths is that I seek out experts in various fields and allow them a situation where they can thrive and do what they do best. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel, I want to bring in the best wheel-makers on the planet and allow them to do their thing. Because smart people hire smarter people than themselves, and that’s how things get done.”
Michael Werner
Werner said one of the reasons he decided to run as a write-in candidate is that he’d like to see more emphasis put on residents rather than tourists.
He’d also focus on traffic, mental health awareness, preservation of the environment, safety of cyclists on major roadways and affordable housing.
“I feel that there is a huge lack of community in the city of Sedona that is truly catered for the tourists rather than the local residents that reside here,” he said. “I often spend my time cleaning the Oak Creek. You can find me at the Humane Society walking dogs or pulling off on the side of the road helping an immobilized vehicle and assisting the owner in any way I can. I am an individual who seeks to understand and listen. I deeply care for this beauty that we call our red rock home and all the people who reside in it.”
According to information from the city, a write-in candidate is a person who has not circulated candidate petitions. Consequently, the write-in candidate’s name does not appear on the ballot.
A regular candidate must circulate nomination petitions and obtain signatures from qualified voters that are submitted to the clerk for review by a specific deadline. A regular candidate may also be subject to challenge and have their petitions reviewed by the court. A regular candidate who has submitted nomination petitions and survived the challenge process will have his or her name printed on the ballot.
A write-in candidate may not advance to the general, or runoff, election if the write-in candidate did not receive a number of votes equivalent to at least the same number of signatures required for nominating petitions for the same office. In this case that would be a minimum of 197 votes needed.
State law allows cities and towns to hold one election if the majority of votes cast in the primary election do not result in a runoff. If a runoff is needed, the top two vote-getters for each seat will appear on the general election ballot.
Write-in candidates must fill out nomination papers and provide a financial disclosure statement at the time of filing the nomination paper. They must provide this documentation 40 days prior to the election. In this case it was June 25. A write-in candidate must also meet additional criteria of that of a regular candidate, including residency, age and criminal past.
Even though a write-in candidate’s name will not appear on the actual ballot, there are ways for voters to know about those candidates. The city clerk must notify the election boards of those persons properly filed as write-in candidates. The election board inspector must post this notice of official write-in candidates in a conspicuous location within the polling place.
In addition, the city must post on its website the names of write-in candidates and include in early ballot instructions where a voter can locate the information on its website. A listing of write-in candidates is not sent with the early ballot. But, there will be write-in lines on the early mailed ballots.
If the person meets the qualifications to be a write-in candidate and has submitted the required paperwork, a voter may write the candidate’s name on the ballot and the vote will be counted. However, write-in votes are only counted for those persons who are eligible. Write-in votes will not be counted for a person who has not filed these documents.
State Rules on Elections
If in the primary election, no candidate receives the majority of the votes cast or the number of seats to be filled for the office is greater than the number of candidates who receive a majority of votes, then of the candidates who did not receive a majority of votes cast, the number of candidates who advance to the general, aka runoff election, is equal to twice the number of seats to be filled for the office. The candidates who received the highest number of votes for the office are the only candidates at the general or runoff election. If more than one candidate received an equal number of votes and that number was the highest number of votes for the office, then all candidates receiving the equal number of votes are candidates at the general aka runoff election. The primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 4. The General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
