THE FINAL PROVISIONAL AND ABSENTEE BALLOTS WERE COUNTED YESTERDAY, AND SO THE OFFICIAL COUNT IS NOW DONE. THE RECORD-HIGH VOTER REGISTRATION LED TO AN ALL-TIME HIGH VOTER TURNOUT IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY. 83.2 PERCENT OF VOTERS ACTUALLY VOTED THIS TIME, AND THAT BREAKS ALL THE COUNTY?S OLD RECORDS. THE NEXT HIGHEST TURNOUT WAS 79.9 PERCENT IN 1988, WHEN GEORGE H. W. BUSH WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT. ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, THE SANTA CRUZ COUNTY TURNOUT WAS PART OF A NATIONAL TREND IN WHICH AN ESTIMATED 120 MILLION AMERICANS VOTED, AND THAT?S THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE TURNOUT SINCE 1968.

Tuesday?s final tally also gave closure to races that were too close to call on the day after Election Day.

- In the Ben Lomond Fire District, the 2 seats will go to roger lee and William ?biff? beltzer.

- Doug Keegan, won the trustee area 2 seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board.

- Another close race was in the Bonny Doon School District, where second-place finisher Michael Zucker beat out third-place finisher Michelle Whitesell by 9 votes.

THE 8TH DEAD DEER HAS BEEN FOUND IN PACIFIC GROVE. THE CARCASSES HAS BEEN TURNING UP SINCE MARCH. THIS LAST ONE WAS FOUND ON ESPLANADE STREET. AUTHORITIES BELIEVE THE DEER WAS KILLED BY ETHER A MOUNTAIN LION OR A COYOTE, AND THEY ARE WARNING AREA RESIDENTS TO BE ALERT, ESPECIALLY IN THE EVENING, AND EARLY MORNING HOURS.

A SANTA CRUZ COUNTY JAIL INMATE WAS FOUND DEAD IN HIS CELL YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. 41 YEAR-OLD GARRETT JAMES GEDDES IS BELIEVED TO HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE. GEDDES WAS LAST BOOKED INTO SANTA CRUZ COUNTY JAIL ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 20TH, ON FRESH CHARGES RELATED TO A VEHICLE THEFT (AND A WARRANT FOR AN ESCAPE FROM MARCH OF 2002), WHEN HE WAS IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY JAIL ON A NARCOTICS-RELATED OFFENSE.

SEVERAL NEW MAYORS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY. FOR THE 4TH TIME, MIKE ROTKIN WILL LEAD THE CITY OF SANTA CRUZ. BRUCE ARTHUR, WHO HAS SERVED ON THE CAPITOLA CITY COUNCIL FOR 6 YEARS, WAS ELECTED TO THE TOP SEAT IN CAPITOLA YESTERDAY??.AND ANA VENTURA PHARES MADE HISTORY LAST NIGHT, BY BECOMING WATSONVILLE?S FIRST LATINA MAYOR.