Cochise County, Arizona — Tuesday is the last day of the Cochise County Special Election.

Over 79,000 ballots have been mailed to registered voters in the area. As of Monday morning, 22,590 letters had reached campaign offices. Tuesday is the last day to mail ballots. Ballot drop-boxes are installed in Bisbee, Sierra Vista and Wilcox.

Voters will have to fill out a single-question ballot and return it to the county after mid-April. The question is whether the sheriff’s office can raise sales tax by half a cent to build and operate new prisons. Construction of the new prison is estimated to cost $92 million. Sheriff Mark Dunnells said the state has contributed $20 million to the project.

The Sheriff’s Office opened City Hall in March to share why we need a new prison and answer the public’s questions. But some believe taxpayers shouldn’t be responsible for paying for new prisons.

Daedra Taluk of Benson doesn’t support tax increases, but she understands why they are necessary.

“For me, this is the county jail, so if something happens because it’s not safe, you have to think about it’s not safe. The burden is going to fall on taxpayers,” she said. said. “I am very careful about what I stand for when it comes to tax increases, but I feel this tax increase is easy and necessary for me.”

The current prison is nearly 40 years old and does not meet the needs of the current climate. The new prisons will add more beds and clinics, provide safer areas where nurses and medical teams can actually perform tests, and add mental health resources to the county and prisons.