Time running out to register to vote in Yuma

Yuma City Council primary is rapidly approaching

If you are a city of Yuma resident, and you want to help shape the next city council, time is running out to register to vote.

The last day to register to vote in the primary election is July 31. The primary itself will be held on Aug. 29th.

Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls and Presiding Municipal Judge James Coil are each running unopposed.

In the race for three open Yuma City Council seats, there are seven candidates running, as well as one write-in candidate.

Current Deputy Mayor Gary Knight is the only other incumbent running. Former council member Leslie McClendon is seeking a return, going up against retired Yuma Police Department Officer Greg Counts; Kristina Rojas-McNair, a trainer at Yuma Regional Medical Center; real estate agent Shelley Ostrowski; Ken Rosevear, retired executive director of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce; and nurse practitioner Karen Watts. Valerie McIntire is also running as a write-in candidate.

Councilmen William Craft and Gary Wright, both elected to the council in 2013, are not seeking re-election.

Candidates may be elected to office in the primary if they receive 50 percent plus one vote among ballots cast. Any candidate who receives a majority of all ballots cast at the primary will be declared elected.

In the event that seats remain following the primary election, the general election will be held Nov. 7.

Those elected to these positions would each serve a four-year term beginning Jan. 1 and ending Dec. 31, 2021.

To register, visit www.servicearizona.com, and click on the “Voter Registration” link. Or, stop by the Yuma County Recorder’s Office, 197 S. Main St.

The process is an easy one, only taking a few minutes to complete. But the rewards are many. Registering to vote gives one the power to vote, to have a say in our government at all levels — from local officials right on up to the presidency.

And once that registration is complete, one can weigh in Yuma on our next city council members. It’s a big decision, and one that will help shape our city and its policies for the next four years.

Please, take a few moments and register to vote before the July 31 deadline. Then be sure to vote on Aug. 29th, or sooner via early ballots.

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