Tuesday, Aug. 2, is the primary election. Due to the particularities of our newspaper production schedule, we will be going to press before the close of election night when polls close, but our newspapers will be delivered to readers and out in racks the morning afterward.
Thus, we will not have election results in our Wednesday, Aug. 3, print newspapers. However, we will have them online as we always do on election night at both redrocknews.com and journalaz.com.
We will update these poll results sometime after the polls close at 7 p.m. Yavapai and Coconino counties typically have their first results published between 8 and 9 p.m., with later results rolling in that night or the next morning as they are counted. We will update these as the night goes on, especially in close races because 20 votes here or 10 votes there could tip the winners.
Elections for the Cottonwood City Council and Clarkdale Town Council are uncontested, so while voters will be able to cast a ballot, the election results are already known, with the exception of Cottonwood City Council write-in candidate Stephen DeWillis, who needs a minimum of 129 votes in order to be officially elected in the primary and have his name added to the election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
There are four candidates running for three seats on the Camp Verde Town Council: Councilwomen Robin Whatley and Marie Moore running for re-election, and longtime residents Robert Foreman and Wendy Escoffier, who have both previously held positions within the town’s government, all campaigning for a seat. Vice Mayor Joe Butner declined to run for reelection.
Due to Jerome’s small size, 1.9% of the city’s population is running for office: Mayor Jack Dillenberg, Vice Mayor Christina “Alex” Barber, Councilman Sage Harvey and Councilwoman Jane Moore face Susan Gregory, Charles Romberger, Steven Schutz, Sonia Sheffield, and write-in candidate Joe Lazaro for five open seats.
In Sedona, there are four candidates running for mayor: Incumbent Sandra “Sandy” Moriarty faces Vice Mayor Scott Jablow and challengers Samaire Armstrong and Kurt Gelhbach, so if you’re looking for some local drama this election season that’s the election to watch.
There are six candidates — Melissa Dunn, Brian Fultz, Pete Furman, Scott Moffatt, Jennifer J. Strait and Councilman Jon “J.T.” Thompson — running for three seats, Thompson’s and seats being vacated by Jablow and Councilman Tom Lamkin, who chose not to run for re-election.
In order to avoid a runoff during the general election in November, candidates need to win at least 50% plus one vote of the total number of votes cast. In a two-person race like that for Camp Verde mayor, It’s very easy to determine.
In a crowded field like that of Sedona City Council, the race is more complicated. To achieve 50% plus one in a race where voters can elect more than one person, the total number of votes cast is much larger number, which must be divided by three — for the total number of seats — and then by half to find the 50%, then rounded up to the next whole number.
Being a midterm year, all of Arizona’s state-level seats are also up for election this cycle, which includes governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission and my personal favorite: State mine inspector. This election will only determine the party nominee going into the general election.
At the federal level, every seat in Congress is up for election, which includes all nine seats in Arizona. For the U.S. Senate, incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, who won a two-year term in 2020 to complete the last two years of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain’s term will be running for his first full, six-year term against five Republicans.
At this point, do not mail your early ballots because they will not arrive by election day. Postmarks do not count. You can drop off your early ballots in a drop box or bring them to a vote center by 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2.
Christopher Fox Graham
Managing Editor
