PHOENIX — The city of Phoenix says thousands of mail-in ballots are pouring in daily for next week's special election weighing the future of mass rail transit in the nation's fifth-largest city.
City spokesman Matthew Hamada says the Phoenix city clerk by Wednesday received 151,750 completed ballots for the Aug. 27 vote. That's 27.63 percent of the 549,128 mail-in ballots requested. Ballots must arrive by 7 p.m. Tuesday to be counted.
Proposition 105 asks if expansion of the city's light rail system should be halted. Another measure seeks to cap city spending until pension debt is significantly paid down.
Hamada says first unofficial results are expected around 8 p.m. Tuesday with any remaining ballots counted over subsequent days.
The City Council will certify final results with the canvas scheduled for Sept. 4.
