The number of registerd voters in Pima County has surpassed 600,000.

 Rebecca Sasnett / Arizona Daily Star

Less than two months before Election Day, the Pima County Recorder’s Office announced that the number of registered voters in Pima County topped 600,000 for the first time ever.

The exact total is 602,957 as of this week, representing an increase from the 543,509 people who were registered to vote during the last presidential election in 2016.

The three largest voting blocs in the county are Democrats (244,661), Republicans (177,048) and others (175,354). The remainder are registered to the Green and Libertarian parties.

“Early in 2020, there was a big push from various organizations and we processed many new voter registrations,” Pima County recorder F. Ann Rodriguez said in a statement. “We’re still seeing a steady increase in voter registrations online, in person at our office, and through the mail.”

F. Ann Rodriguez

The deadline to register to vote in the November general election is Oct. 5, with early ballots scheduled to go out two days later.

Registration can be done online at servicearizona.com. Printed forms are also available at post offices, libraries and recorder’s offices, or can be printed online at recorder.pima.gov/regvote.

A brief guide to state absentee voting rules and resources for requesting mail-in ballots for the upcoming election.

Early voting site is up in air for Pascua Yaqui tribe

The Pima County Board of Supervisors this week formally supported expanded efforts to make it easier for members of the Pascua Yaqui tribe to vote. But it remains unclear whether those changes will actually be implemented.

The resolution to authorize early voting, emergency and drop-off sites at the Pascua Yaqui Reservation Tribal Chambers passed 3-2 along party lines, with Democratic Supervisor Betty Villegas saying the measure “is a matter of doing what is right.”

“It should never have had to come to this, but it did and here we are,” said Villegas, who drafted the resolution. “I am hopeful that they will make this work out as smoothly and seamlessly as possible.”

Despite the resolution, Rodriguez has continued to maintain her concerns about opening the voting site, with election security chief among them.

She noted in a letter to the board earlier this month that she is in charge of determining the location and operation of walk-in early voting sites, and that it’s too “short notice” to get a new site up and running.

“We cannot implement the changes needed to make a site at the Yaqui council chambers or any other site sufficiently secure to meet the Homeland Security requirements at this late date,” she wrote on Sept. 3.

While the operation of the voting site also can be authorized by the Board of Supervisors, County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry wrote in a memo prior to the vote that the sites must have live access to the County Recorder’s Voter Registration Database so officials can know which ballot to give the voter and to ensure the voter does not vote again at another time or location.

Rodriguez is not required to provide access.

Asked following the vote by Pascua Yaqui Chairman Peter Yucupicio about how to implement the plans, Rodriguez did not appear too thrilled, writing that it was “introduced and adopted without my consent.”

“My suggestion to you at this point would be to contact (Villegas) … and the other two members of the Board of Supervisors who voted in favor of the resolution to determine exactly how THEY plan on implementing THEIR resolution,” she wrote in a Wednesday letter.

Richard Elías served on the Pima County Board of Supervisors, representing District 5 for 18 years. He is being honored posthumously this week by the Consulate of Mexico.

Late Supervisor Elías to be honored by Mexico

Late Pima County Board of Supervisors Chairman Richard Elías will be honored by the Mexican Consulate in Tucson for his work on migrant rights.

Elías will be presented with the Othli Award, the highest award granted by the Mexican government to community members in the U.S. who have contributed to the development of the Mexican community living abroad, during a small private ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday. A livestream will be carried on the consulate’s Facebook page.

The consulate had submitted the nomination for Elías before his death in March and was recently notified it had been approved.

The award consists of a medal, a silver rosette and a certificate signed by the director of the Institute of Mexicans Abroad.

Elías’ wife, Emily, and daughter Luz will receive the award on his behalf.

They will be joined by board Chairman Ramon Valadez, a longtime fellow supervisor who took over for Elías as chairman.

“Richard was not only a dear colleague of mine, but a friend and a brother,” Valadez said in a statement.

“I was fortunate to have known Richard for three decades and during that time he was always a steadfast ally and passionate advocate for the migrant community. This award is well-deserved and exemplifies Richard’s dedication to the underrepresented in our community. We miss him dearly.”

Tucson-based company launches voting initiative

Mister Car Wash, one of the largest companies headquartered in Tucson, has launched a nonpartisan initiative to encourage its 6,000 employees nationwide to vote in the November election.

As part of the voluntary “Mister says YES to voting” initiative, the company hopes to register all of its employees to vote by Sept. 22.

The company is providing internal resources to guide employees through the registration process in their respective states and provide them with nonpartisan information on what will be on the ballot this November.

Next month, the company will be providing additional information to employees about where to find their polling places, how to apply for mail-in ballots, additional information about candidates and issues, and reminders to cast their ballots.

“Mister Car Wash believes that every voice matters and that every vote counts,” said John Lai, CEO of Mister Car Wash, in a statement.

“‘Mister says YES to voting’ is a grassroots initiative that came from our own employees and we couldn’t be prouder. Their desire to see their fellow employees engaged, equipped and encouraged to vote reminds us of our commitment to our local communities, and to our country, and that puts a smile on our faces as we work to shine a light on this most important American responsibility.”

Headquartered in Tucson, Mister Car Wash operates 328 car washes and 31 express lubes in 21 states.

Richard A. Carranza, left, a 1984 graduate of Pueblo Magnet High School, is introduced by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio as “the right person to lead our school system forward.”

Giuliani assails Tucson native running NYC schools

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani spent midday Wednesday taking shots at the city’s current administration, including schools chancellor Richard Carranza, who is from Tucson.

Apparently referring to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Giuliani said, “He has a chancellor that belongs in Cuba, running their school system. Maybe he should go back to Cuba, which is where he had his honeymoon.”

The “he” references in Giuliani’s comments were confusing, but de Blasio and his wife honeymooned in Cuba.

Carranza was born and raised in Tucson, the grandson of Mexican immigrants, and graduated from Pueblo High School as well as the University of Arizona.

He led school districts in the Las Vegas area, San Francisco and Houston before being named chancellor of New York City public schools in 2018.

Carranza has taken heavy criticism over his handling of the COVID-19 crisis, from the school closures in March to the attempt at a “blended” reopening of schools this month.

A writer in the online Gotham Gazette opined, in a piece headlined “The Schools Chancellor Must Step Up or Step Aside,” that “We need a new Chancellor who will stand up to the Mayor, demonstrating managerial decisiveness and instructional vision.”

The conservative New York Post editorialized that Carranza “has no real talent for anything except incendiary race games” in an editorial headlined, “COVID-19 has exposed Chancellor Richard Carranza’s utter incompetence.”

But the press came to Carranza’s defense after Giuliani’s attack, which a New York Daily News headline referred to as “Insane and racist.”

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Contact reporter Justin Sayers at jsayers1@tucson.com or 573-4192. Twitter: @_JustinSayers. Facebook: JustinSSayers.