A notoriously aggressive dude showed up at a polling place in Vail on Election Day and had to be dragged away by the scruff of his neck before he could intimidate any voters.

An American badger was safely captured and removed from the election site at Sycamore Elementary School on South Houghton Road on Tuesday afternoon, as voters were still going to the polls.

No election workers were harassed, or ballots eaten, during the incident.

Longtime Tucson wildlife wrangler Marc Hammond said the 6- or 7-month-old male badger had been showing up outside the school’s main office every afternoon recently. It probably didn’t pose much of a threat, he said, but school officials wanted it removed for the safety of students and voters.

Hammond, who runs Animal Experts Inc., said badgers are known for being fierce and fearless, with long claws that allow them to dig down into the earth faster than people with shovels. The badgers found in the Tucson area can be aggressive in defense of their young or their territory, but usually only if they are cornered or provoked, he said.

After snaring the roughly 18-pound animal 30 feet from the school’s parking lot, Hammond drove it about 15 miles and released it in a patch of desert with other badgers to associate with and plenty of vegetation and ground squirrels to eat.

A video of Hammond holding the youngster right before he set it free made the rounds on social media Wednesday. Watch it here: http://tucne.ws/1g1g

Ballots still in envelopes are fed through a machine and are automatically opened in preparation for counting later in the day at the Pima County Election Center in Tucson on Nov. 5, 2020.

He said he wouldn’t have been quite so hands-on with a full-grown badger.

“I probably would have had my arm chewed off if it was an adult,” Hammond said.

Pima County sheriff’s race remains bitter to the end

A day before the general election, Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier said he asked the Pima County Elections Department to investigate a Facebook page he says illegally funded Facebook posts that promoted his opponent’s campaign and affected the outcome of the election.

Napier said in a Facebook post Tuesday that Richard Kastigar, former bureau chief of the Sheriff’s Department, operated the Facebook page “No More Napier” and spent money boosting posts in favor of Napier’s opponent, Democrat Chris Nanos.

Kastigar’s financial contribution to Nanos’ campaign requires him to file paperwork identifying himself as a PAC (political action committee) or file campaign finance reports, Napier said. He also said Kastigar, acting as a PAC, should not have been allowed to collaborate directly with Nanos.

Minutes after Napier’s post, Nanos in a Facebook post on his campaign page wrote: “This post is for Mr. Napier...he continues to dig his own grave by posting incessantly about my campaign. It’s apparent he reads everything my campaign posts so I know he’ll be reading this soon. Mark...take this as a health concern. Relax, you’re going to stroke out...it’s in the voters hands. Stop with the all night postings, lies and false narratives. That’s what got you in trouble in the first place. Good luck to you.”

The two candidates made back-and-forth accusations throughout the campaign. Napier in September threatened to sue Nanos for defamation after seeing a billboard depicting Napier with a Pinocchio-like nose and labeling him a “proven liar.”

A representative from Pima County said an investigation will take place after the election.

Pima turnout percentage about the same as in 2016

The number of voters who voted in the 2020 election has surpassed the total from 2016, although the turnout of registered voters will likely end up about the same.

Exactly 468,911 ballots had been counted as of noon Thursday, according to the county. An additional 22,000 ballots were turned over from the Recorder’s Office to the Elections Department on Thursday morning. An estimated additional 12,000 ballots remain outstanding.

With roughly 500,000 ballots cast, Pima County is on track to have a turnout similar to the last presidential election among its 638,355 registered voters. There was a 78% turnout of the 544,270 registered voters in 2016.

Ballot counters halt work amid protest in Phoenix

With chants of “Fox News sucks!” in anger over the network declaring Joe Biden the winner in Arizona, and “Let us in,” protesters wearing Trump gear — and some carrying guns — gathered in the parking lot at the Maricopa County election center Wednesday night.

Among the crowd was U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, a staunch supporter of President Trump. He declared: “We’re not going to let this election be stolen. Period,” according to The Associated Press.

Inside the ballot counting center, which halted operations because of the protest, were observers from both major political parties.

In Arizona, the usually mundane process of counting ballots is livesteamed at all times. If you’re into that, watch it here:

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.

Henry Brean

Stephanie Casanova

Justin Sayers