Here's a boots on the ground update from someone who has first hand knowledge of what is going on in Cochise county. FIRST: as to the slowness of the count:
The county elections people have to verify provisional ballots before they release them to be counted by the county recorder. The elections people have been slow in doing this and the county recorder did not receive any provisionals to count until yesterday. So they are counting them but they got them late and it is slow. They are working through the weekend. Tuesday might be a good day to expect the final tally from Cochise County. This is all totally unofficial, but from a good source. There ARE people who are actively participating and watching at both elections and recorders offices.
SECOND: The downward revision of the count was due to an error earlier in the day . the correction was posted in the later count.
So kidlings, wait we must do for a few more days, but Barber looks like he is possibly, probably going to pull this out.
See body of diary for earlier backstory ...after the golden croissant
UPDATE: as of 6 PM, Cochise County revised downward their count for the day.The new numbers are 23,278 for Martha McSally and 15,191 for Ron Barber and 88 write ins.
so totals for the end of today are Barber 131,460 and McSally 131,171
This actually increases Barber's lead to 289.
a note: On November 2 Cochise County put out a press release noting that it had mailed out 33,873 PEVL,early Ballots and had 20,859 of them returned, (61.58%). By this evening's count. 18,531 have shown up in the tally so far, leaving 2,328 of the returned PEVLS that have not figured into the count. Remember some of the returned ballots may not contain a vote for any candidate in the Barber /McSally race.
Also important to note: the county sent out 13,014 PEVL ballots which either were never completed , were received by the county between the news release on Nov. 2 and Nov 6, or were turned in at the Polling place on election day and transferred to provisional ballots.
Cochise County news release stated that by law ,it could start tabulating early ballots on Nov. 2, but it also estimated that it would have all ballots counted by Friday , Nov.9.
That has not happened.
In addition, no other provisional ballots have shown up on the elections page tally referenced below.
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