SE Valley Times

Tempe, AZ - Preliminary unofficial election results for Tempe's March 12 ballot by mail city election have been released by the Maricopa County Elections Department. The results, available on Results.Maricopa.Vote, showcase the outcomes of both the mayoral and city council races, as well as the vote on Proposition 478.

In the mayoral race, Corey Woods secured a significant lead with 16,850 votes, representing 94.32% of the total votes cast. The remaining percentage went to a write-in candidate with 1,014 votes.

For the city council seats, there were three open positions. The top three candidates who garnered the most votes were Doreen Garlid with 13,204 votes (24.45%), Randy Keating with 12,030 votes (22.27%), and Nikki Amberg with 11,578 votes (21.62%). David Lucier and Hugo Tapia also received significant support with 8,369 votes (15.49%) and 8,359 votes (15.48%) respectively. Additionally, there were 472 write-in votes (0.87%).

Regarding Proposition 478, which focused on the Ratification of the City of Tempe General Plan 2050, "Yes" votes totaled 11,902 (61.41%), while "No" votes amounted to 7,480 (38.59%).

With a total of 84,549 registered voters in Tempe, the voter turnout for this election stood at 25.38%, with 21,459 votes tallied so far. The final unofficial results are expected to be updated daily on Results.Maricopa.Vote until all ballots are tabulated. The official canvass of the vote by the City Council is scheduled for the March 21 Regular Council Meeting.

According to the Tempe City Charter, since there were no more than six candidates for the three council seats and no more than two for the mayoral seat, a runoff election will not be necessary. The elected Mayor and Councilmembers are set to take their oath of office during the July 1 Regular Council meeting.

The General Plan 2050, subject to Proposition 478, will go into effect on March 21. Further information on the election and the plan itself can be found at tempe.gov/election.

For any inquiries or additional details, voters are encouraged to visit tempe.gov/election, contact Tempe 311 at 480-350-4311, or email clerk@tempe.gov.