Updated 8:00 PM May 17, 2023

Cochise County officials tallied an additional 2,079 ballots on Wednesday. The vote did not change the overall outcome of the race. In a statement to the media, they said they still have 157 ballots with signature verification questions that must be answered by Friday.

Tucson election officials did not provide an update on Wednesday.

Tucson voters rejected a 25-year franchise agreement with Tucson Power by a margin of 55% to 45%. Voter turnout was about 21.69% when the preliminary results were announced after 8:00 p.m.

Proposition 412 would continue TEP’s franchise fee for an additional 25 years while adding an additional 0.75% community resilience fee. For 10 years, that money would have been used to pay for TEP’s cable laying costs. The remaining funds will be used to support community climate action plans.

In Cochise County, voters approved a 0.5-cent increase in the sales tax to pay for the new prison. The 25-year increase was approved by 52% to 48%.

About 30 percent of registered voters in Cochise County voted in the special election.

Both elections were held by mail.

Officials in Tucson and Cochise County will continue to count and verify ballots over the next few days.