Voters in the East Valley: Here’s What’s on Your Ballot, and Where You Can Vote

Here are the down-ballot elections voters in LD17 can expect to find on their ballot for the Nov. 3 election, along with a list of voting centers and ballot drop-off locations

Arizona elections officials have been preparing to expand access to voting since March, when the COVID-19 pandemic first began to spread in the state. In an attempt to reduce large gatherings at voting centers, Arizona voters can now vote at any polling location, can begin voting in-person on Oct. 7, and voters on the Permanent Early Voter List have until Oct. 27 to mail back their ballot.

To make the voting process easier, The Copper Courier is providing a resource page so Arizonans can easily research what will be on their ballot and quickly locate their nearest voting center.

Where to Vote For LD 17

Arizona’s 17th Legislative District is located in the northwest part of the Phoenix metro area. Polling places and ballot drop-off locations that open Oct. 7 are listed below, or can be located via GPS using this map:

Bell Canyon Pavilion: 2814 W Bell Rd 1495, Phoenix, AZ 85053

Communiversity: 21740 S Ellsworth Rd, Queen Creek, AZ 85142

Dobson Palm Plaza: 2051 W Guadalupe Rd, Mesa, AZ 85202

McDowell Square: 5114 W Mcdowell Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85035

Scottsdale Plaza: 8029 E Roosevelt St, Scottsdale, AZ 85257

Southern Plaza: 16000 N Civic Center Plz, Surprise, AZ 85374

Surprise City Hall: 7700 W Arrowhead Towne Ctr 2076, Glendale, AZ 85308

The Maricopa County Recorders Office plans to open more voting locations in the days leading up to Election Day, Nov. 3. A full list can be found here.

Starting Down Ballot

Every ballot begins with federal races, leaving races for positions such as school boards and the state legislature near the bottom of the ballot. In order to give more attention to these down-ballot races, The Copper Courier has provided a sample ballot consisting of local races LD17 voters will find on their ballot, using language from the Arizona Secretary of State Office so it will be familiar to readers when they see it on their ballot.

Links to previous reporting on positions and candidates will also be available below.

Proposition 207

Proposed By Initiative Petition Relating To The Responsible Adult Use, Regulation And Taxation Of Marijuana

The law would allow limited marijuana possession, use, and cultivation by adults 21 or older; amend criminal penalties for marijuana possession; ban smoking marijuana in public; impose a 16% excise tax on marijuana sales to fund public programs; authorize state/local regulation of marijuana licensees; and allow expungement of marijuana offenses.

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Proposition 208

Proposed By Initiative Petition Relating To Education Funding

The law would impose a 3.5% tax surcharge on taxable annual income over $250,000 for a single persons or married persons filing separately, or $500,000 for married persons filing jointly or heads of households, to increase funding for public education.

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State Legislature

Legislative authority and responsibilities include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

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Arizona Corporation Commission

The State Corporation Commissioner office is an independent department of state government with delegated administrative, legislative and judicial powers to regulate business and economic interests, including the regulation of insurance, public utilities, securities, retail franchising, and railroads.

• Lea Marquez Peterson (R)
• William “Bill” Mundell (R)
• James “Jim” O’Connor (R)
• Eric Sloan (R)
• Shea Stanfield (D)
• Anna Tovar (D)

Judicial Candidates

Arizona voters have the option to retain judges on the ballot, or to not retain them. If a judge is not retained, a new one will be appointed at the end of the previous judge’s term.

Arizona Supreme Court

Justice Robert Brutinel

Justice Andrew Gould

Justice John Lopez IV

Appeals Court—Division 1

• Jennifer B. Campbell
• Maria Elena Cruz
• Randall Howe
• Paul McMurdle
• James Morse, Jr.
• Jennifer Perkins
• Samuel Thumma
• David Weinzweig

Appeals Court—Division 2

• Sean Brearcliffe
• Karl Eppich
• Garye Vasquez

Maricopa County Candidates

Maricopa County Supervisor Board—District 1

The Board of Supervisors is the governing body of the county. Its duties, by state law, are both legislative and executive. The board is responsible for the overall management of the county government operations.

• Jevin Hodge (D)
• Jack Sellers (R)

Maricopa County Assessor

The assessor locates and identifies all taxable property in Maricopa County and further identifies the ownership, establishes a value for all property subject to property taxation, lists the values of all property on the assessment roll, and applies all legal exemptions.

• Aaron Connor (D)
• Eddie Cook (R)

Maricopa County Sheriff

The County Sheriff is the chief law enforcement official of the county.

• Paul Penzone (D)
• Jerry Sheridan (R)

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Maricopa County Treasurer

The County Treasurer is the Chief Fiscal Officer of the county responsible for overseeing all public funds owned by the county, the county school district, and other taxing entities within the county.

• John Allen (R)
• Daniel Toporek (D)

Maricopa County Recorder

The County Recorder, Register of Deeds, or Register of Mesne Conveyance is the officer responsible for keeping records of vital statistics, notarized deeds of trust, and other deeds affecting real property.

• Adrian Fontes (D)
• Stephen Richer (R)

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Maricopa County School Superintendent

The Maricopa County Superintendent of Schools leads the Maricopa County Education Service Agency. Duties include establishing a shared vision for the schools, which reflects a consensus of the board, students, community and district staff. The Superintendent has a wide variety of additional responsibilities, such as adopting annual budgets and issuing interim financial reports, negotiating contracts with employees, approving curriculum materials and closing or constructing schools.

• Jeanne Casteen (D)
• Steve Watson (R)

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Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the party affiliation of Rep. Jeff Weninger. We regret the error.