The Pascua Yacqui Tribe in Tucson, Arizona, has been fighting for two years to reinstate its only early voting polling place./YouTube
By Laura Gomez | Arizona Mirror
Pima County and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe have settled a lawsuit filed in October when the southern Arizona tribal leaders sought to reinstate an early voting site that the county recorder removed in 2018.
Under the settlement, the Pima County Recorder’s Office County will reinstate an early voting site inside of the reservation that was removed by the previous recorder, F. Ann Rodriguez. The tribe had advocated to have the site reinstated before the 2020 election, but after Rodriguez ignored those calls, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe sued and sought an emergency judgment as early voting began ahead of the November Election. A federal judge denied the request.
The election of Gabriella Cázares-Kelly to lead the Pima County Recorder’s Office changed things.
During a press conference on Monday, Cázares-Kelly said having an early voting site within the Pasqui Yaqui reservation is a “logical and practical need” and the community shouldn’t have had sue to access ”the most basic and fundamental rights.”
