The three Queen Creek Town Council members up for election appeared to be coasting to victory, judging by the latest Primary Election results posted this morning.
The latest unofficial results from the county recorders for both Maricopa and Pinal counties showed Councilwoman Dawn Oliphant leading the pack, followed by Councilmen Travis Padilla and Bryan McClure, respectively.
Tallies of votes cast in both counties Wednesday morning showed Oliphant with 7,504 votes; Padilla with 7,014; and McClure with 6,595, according to unofficial results.
Both county’s unofficial early returns had the three top vote getters with over 20% of the vote.
Trailing were Nick Masse, with 4,604 votes, and Benjamin Harrison, with 3,648.
Mayor Julia Wheatley, who is running unopposed in her quest for another term, was the top vote getter with a total 10,575 votes from the two counties.
The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office put turnout at 22.6% while Pinal did not give a percentage of registered voters who cast ballots.
It was unclear when the next round of ballot counts will be released today.
It also remains unclear if any or all the incumbents will win outright, eliminating the need for a runoff election in the Nov. 3 General Election. To win outright, candidates must reach a threshold calculated from a complicated formula.
Oliphant is seeking her fifth term on the council while McClure, currently vice mayor, and Padilla are seeking second terms.