Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
By now you are all aware that Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever was killed in a single vehicle accident while on a hunting trip in Coconino County near Williams. Dever's mother passed away on Friday. Her funeral is scheduled for this weekend. Cochise County Sheriff Dever dies in car crash.
First of all, my condolences to Mrs. Dever and the Dever family, and to the Cochise County Sheriff's deputies and support staff for your loss.
The death of Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever presents a rare election issue. Dever was running unopposed for reelection, now there are no candidates for County Sheriff. What happens now?
First, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors will appoint someone who is also a Republican to fill the remainder of Sheriff Dever's current term. A.R.S. §16-230(A)(2), in relevant part:
2. If a county office becomes vacant, the board of supervisors shall appoint a person of the same political party as the person vacating the office to fill the portion of the term until the next regular general election.
Because Sheriff Dever's death occurred between the primary election and the general election, A.R.S. §16-343 applies. Typically the vacancy would be filled by the party county committee nominating a candidate of the party's choice and filing a nomination paper and affidavit complying with the requirements of section 16-311 to fill such vacancy. A.R.S. §16-343(A)(3).
The problem, however, is that the ballots have already gone to the printer this week, according to sources with whom I spoke this morning. A.R.S. §16-343(B) provides that the party county committee nomination paper and affidavit are "to be filed at any time before the official ballots are printed." It's too late.