TO: Mayor Collins and Town Council Members
FROM: Kevin Burke, Town Manager
Duncan Miller, Town Clerk
DATE: December 3, 2015
DEPARTMENT: Town Manager
Staff Contact Duncan Miller, 480-348-3610
End
AGENDA TITLE:
Title
Adoption of Ordinance Number 692 Amending Article 2-3 Council Election
Body
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Adopt Ordinance Number 692
Background
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
The Town Council discussed the proposed amendments to Article 2-3 of the Town Code regarding elections at the Study Session on November 19, 2015.
In 2013, the Arizona Legislature adopted the "Consolidated Elections Law" mandating that all local elections for mayor and council must be held in the fall of even numbered years. This law necessitated changes in other election laws and procedures. In 2014, the Legislature passed a session law governing the formula to be used in determining whether a local candidate was elected at the Primary Election and/or whether there would be a run-off election.
In order to be elected at the Primary Election, candidates must receive a majority of the total votes cast. Prior to 2014, the Town Code defined "total votes cast" as the total number of voters who voted for the office of mayor. The 2014 Session Law preempted that provision and replaced it with a new formula. In 2015, the Legislature made the formula permanent law.
Total Votes Cast Formula (A.R.S. ?9-821.01)
The new method calls for adding the total number of votes cast for all candidates for an office; dividing that sum by the number of seats to be filled at the election and then dividing the result of that calculation by two and rounding the number to the highest whole number. If more candidates receive a majority than there are offices to be filled, the candidates receiving the highest number of votes equal to the number of seats to be filled shall be declared elected.
In the following example, there are six candidates running f...
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