Desert Messenger

8 www.DesertMessenger.com August 12, 2020 Disqualified candidate Sam Saxton reponds to questions Quartzsite, AZ - On the afternoon of Monday, July 20th, just 2 weeks prior to the August 4th Primary Election, Kimmy Olsen of La Paz County Elections Offi ce told Desert Messenger Sam Saxton was "not a qualifi ed elector and cannot run for offi ce at this time; that any votes for him would not count." She also said Mr. Saxton had been notifi ed that morning and his name had already been removed from the County Election's Candi- date List on their website and at the Recorder's Offi ce. To be qualifi ed for an offi ce, can- didates must satisfy certain legal requirements, such as citizenship, residency, and voter registration. According to public records, Saxton is Director of Children's Ministry at Quartzsite Southern Baptist Church and owner of Quartzsite Handy- man Services. He fi led his Nomina- tion Paper and Financial Disclosure Statement on May 26, 2020 to run as a write-in candidate for a 4-year Council position. Saxton posted on social media his participation in the July 4th Voter Registration party at Mountain Quail Cafe. On Facebook, he stated he helped to register at least 4 people that day. Deadline to regis- ter to vote was July 6, 2020. Desert Messenger reached out to Saxton with the following questions: 1) Why did you sign your nomi- nation papers "under penalty of perjury" that you were a "qualifi ed elector" if you were not registered to vote at that time? ["elector" literally means "one qualifi ed to vote in an election"] Have you since registered to vote? Why did you wait so long? 2) Knowing you were not regis- tered to vote in Quartzsite, what was your plan if elected? 3) Are you going to return the funds raised for your campaign to the folks who donated? If not, what was the money used for? 4) What would you like to say to your supporters? Mr Saxton replied via email with the following statement: "Thank you for your inquiry and for allowing me this opportunity to explain what had occurred as a mis- understanding of timing of qualifying events prior to the Primary Election. "Having met with persons at Town Hall to initiate the process of becoming a write-in candidate for Town Council, I was given several qualifi cations, all of which I met. The specifi c date of my registering to vote was never asked, and as I had obvious intentions of voting in the election myself, I did in fact register. Unfortunately, there was a cut-off date for voter registration, pertinent to my qualifying, that I was not aware of. "After I did register to vote, it was brought to my attention that the se- quence of events disqualifi ed me. This was a most embarrassing situ- ation mainly because, while an im- portant event, the error was one that I could have and should have avoid- ed. This timing error also precluded my nomination in the Primary Elec- tion, perhaps resulting in confusion about my commitment to the Town of Quartzsite and my desire to serve the people of this community. "All of my supporters remain my supporters for the General Election. The signage procured and other mis- cellaneous expenditures are still very important components of my cam- paign, and my supporters continue to endorse my efforts to serve the Town. "And, thank you also for allowing me to address my supporters… the initial oversight by me and the offi ce accepting my application does not diminish my interest in serving the people of my community. The er- ror, having been corrected, inspires me to be even more diligent and I look forward to the opportunity to meet with my neighbors to discuss my position on key topics of inter- est for everyone and the successful future of Quartzsite." The State of Arizona (A.R.S. §§ 16- 311, 16-312) requires a candidate to fi le a "Declaration of Qualifi cation Nomination Paper." The fi rst sen- tance reads, "You are hereby noti- fi ed that I, the undersigned, a quali- fi ed elector, am a candidate for the offi ce of..." The fi nal paragraph reads, "I de- clare, under penalty of perjury, that the information in this Nomination Paper and Declaration of Qualifi ca- tion is true and correct..." As a Class 4 felony offense, the con- sequences of a perjury conviction can be both severe and wide-ranging. If convicted of the Class 4 felony offense of perjury in Arizona, the follow- ing consequences may be possible: A minimum sentence of one year; A maximum sentence of 3.75 years; A presumptive prison sentence of 2.5 years. Desert Messenger is not aware if any charges have been fi led. one simple call to 811 gets underground utility-owned lines marked for free. not calling can be life threatening and costly. You can harm yourself or others, disrupt natural gas service to an entire neighborhood, and potentially be responsible for injuries, repair costs, and criminal penalties. Natural gas lines can be buried anywhere. If you ever suspect a natural gas leak, call 911 and Southwest Gas at 877-860-6020 immediately, whether you're our customer or not. Call 811 Before you dig! Whether you're a homeowner or professional excavator, every digging job requires a call — even small projects — so be sure to: • Call 811 at least two working days before starting any digging project • Wait for the site to be marked • Respect the marks • Dig with care For more information about natural gas safety, visit swgas.com/safety or call 877-860-6020

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