Voters will finally get to weigh in on the candidates for three Queen Creek Town Council seats and a slew of Primary Election hopefuls for state offices and Congress as early ballots hit mailboxes later this week.
The town’s election season heats up this week with three key dates:
• Monday, June 22, is the last day to register to vote in the July 21 primary.
• Tuesday, June 23, is the Queen Creek Town Council Forum.
• Wednesday, June 24, is when ballots are scheduled to be mailed and early voting begins. Voters have until July 10 to request an early ballot.
And if they are registered as independents, they must request a ballot.
Details on registering to vote and ordering an early ballot are at elections.maricopa.gov for voters in Maricopa County and at pinal.gov/794/Pinal-VOTES for those living in Pinal County.
Tuesday night’s forum will give Queen Creek residents an opportunity to see in person the council candidates whose images are gracing ubiquitous campaign signs that seem to be on every corner around town.
The forum is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. June 23 in the Zane Grey Room of the Queen Creek Library.
The candidates will discuss issues facing the community, share their priorities and answer questions in a moderated format, according to event organizers. Residents planning to attend are asked to register at:
queencreekchamber.com/events/queen-creek-town-council-forum/.
Three council candidates – Bryan McClure, Dawn Oliphant and Travis Padilla – are incumbents. They are joined on the ballot by challengers Benjamin Harrison and Nick Masse.
Oliphant is seeking her fifth four-year term while McClure and Padilla were first elected in 2022.
While the Primary Election could resolve some or all of the council races, seats not filled by candidates who meet the required threshold for votes would then be on the November ballot.
That ballot also will include candidates for school boards, who do not face a primary election. July 6 is the final date for school board candidates to file their ballot petitions.
Council members serve four-year terms and are paid $26,278 annually.
The five candidates were profiled in the Queen Creek Tribune from May 17 through June 14 and the stories can be found at queencreektribune.com.
The endorsement season has also started. One of the first came from the Queen Creek Firefighters PAC, which recently sent out a mailer backing the incumbents McClure, Oliphant and Padilla as well as Mayor Julia Wheatley.
Wheatley is running unopposed for her second four-year term and will appear on the Nov. 3 General Election ballot.
Some of the major primary contests involve Republican races, though at a legislative level, no real contests will occur until November.
In Legislative District 15, for example, Republican incumbents Sen. Jake Hoffman and Reps. Neal Carter and Michael Way have no opposition. Hoffman will face a November challenge from Democrat Jayme Accala.
One of the more heated area races involves Congressional District 5, where Daniel Keenan and former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb are running for the Republican nomination in an allegation-filled race while three political newcomers – Brian Hualde, Chris Hames and Rebecca Lee – are vying for the Democratic nod.
Current District 5 U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs is running against fellow U.S. House member David Schweikert to represent the Republicans in the Arizona gubernatorial race. The winner will face incumbent Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has no primary opponent.
While the Biggs-Schweikert contest may be considered the marquee matchup, two other Republicans Scott Neely and Ken Miceli, also are vying for the GOP nod while the No Labels party features a match-up between Teri Ann Houlihan and Hugh Lytle. Additionally, Green Party candidate Risa Lombardo has no challenger in her party.
Incumbent Tom Horne is fighting to survive a challenge from termed-out state Treasurer Kimberly Yee for the state superintendent of public instruction in the Republican primary.
Horne is battling for a second term amid allegations that his state Department of Education was lax in overseeing expenditures by Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, or school vouchers, recipients that included thousands of dollars on items ranging from expensive watches to luxury trips.
A rare Democratic primary battle also is on the ballot for Superintendent of Public Instruction, where Teresa Leyba Ruiz is vying for the nomination with Brett Newby.
Another state office featuring a GOP battle involves Secretary of State, where state Rep. Alexander Kolodin and Gina Swooda are fighting to take on unopposed incumbent Democrat Adrian Fontes.
Yet another hotly contested Republican contest pits Senate President Warren Petersen against Rodney Glassman in the race for the attorney general nomination, fighting for a chance to take on unopposed incumbent Democrat Kris Mayes.
That race has been particularly nasty, with Glassman and Petersen accusing each other of having little to no experience in the courtroom.
And for Yee’s job, Republicans Elijah Norton and Katherine Haley are fighting to take on Democratic hopeful Nick Monsour this fall.
Even the Corporation Commission has a contested Republican contest where Ralph Heap is trying to unseat either of the two Republican incumbents, Kevin Thompson and Nicholas Myers.
The deadline to mail in ballots is July 14.
There are places to drop off mail ballots or vote in person at three Queen Creek locations. They are:
From June 24 through Election Day, the Communiversity, 21740 S. Ellsworth Road.
From July 20-21, Queen Creek Library, 21802 S. Ellsworth Road.
On Election Day, Queen Creek Unified district offices, 20217 E. Chandler Heights Road.
For hours, see elections.maricopa.gov.