State Senator Chester Crandell died while horseback riding near his home in eastern Arizona on Monday. But there’s a process about how votes are counted when a candidate dies during the campaign.
Crandell died unexpectedly and his state senate seat is now vacant. Navajo County Elections Director Johnathan Roes said that won’t change balloting in the state’s sixth legislative district during this month’s primary.
“Senator Crandell’s name has been printed on the ballot. His name will still remain there. We’re not going to have to reprint ballots or anything like that, those ballots will be made available to the voters to be able to vote for the candidate of their choice,” Roes said.
After the primary, Republican precinct committee members in Crandell’s district will nominate three candidates whose names will be forwarded to the Navajo County Supervisors. The supervisors will appoint one of those candidates to fill the seat until the end of Crandell’s term and that person can run in the general election.
There is no Democratic candidate in the race. But there is an independent, Tom O’Halleran, a former Republican and state senator.