Incumbent Democrat Chris Nanos has officially been declared the winner of the Pima County Sheriff's race after a thorough recount process. Pima County Superior Court Judge Kyle Bryson confirmed that Nanos received a total of 243,891 votes, defeating Republican challenger Heather Lappin by just 481 votes—an increase from the initial tally.
Lappin wasn't left entirely behind in the recount, as she managed to gain 45 additional votes to Nanos's 31. However, the end result was not enough to bridge the gap and secure her a win. The changes in vote counts were due to the review and adjudication of ballots that were initially flagged by tabulators as overvotes, undervotes, or unclear.
As Pima County employs a sophisticated electronic adjudication process to discern voter intent, ballots that are not clearly marked are reviewed by a bipartisan team. According to Pima County, this process involves both a Democrat and a Republican, whose joint decision is then confirmed by a second bipartisan team. This rigorous approach ensures a nonpartisan consensus on voter intention and lends credibility to the final vote count.
Constance Hargrove, Pima County's Elections Director, shed light on the recount procedure, saying "It is not uncommon to see changes in adjudicated ballots during a recount," implying that changes to the vote tallies were anticipated given the nature of human and technological error during initial vote tabulation. Reasons for adjudication include write-ins and improperly marked ballots, such as when circles are drawn instead of proper bubble fills, with the adjudicating teams ensuring the voter's chosen candidate is rewarded with a vote accordingly, as stated in the announcement from Pima County.
The changes in the vote count reflect the careful review process of the democratic system, where all ballots are thoroughly examined to ensure accuracy. With Judge Bryson's announcement, Nanos has been confirmed to begin another term as Pima County Sheriff.
