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Municipal elections in Maricopa County, Arizona (2020)
2022 →
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| 2020 Maricopa County elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: April 6, 2020 (partisan) July 6, 2020 (nonpartisan) |
| Primary election: August 4, 2020 General election: November 3, 2020 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: County board of supervisors in districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, county assessor, county attorney, county recorder, sheriff, county school superintendent, treasurer, constables, justices of the peace, superior court judges, community college board members, and special districts |
| Total seats up: 86 |
| Election type: Partisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2020 |
Maricopa County, Arizona, held general elections for county board of supervisors in districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, county assessor, county attorney, county recorder, sheriff, county school superintendent, treasurer, constables, justices of the peace, superior court judges, community college board members, and special districts on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for August 4, 2020. The filing deadline for partisan elections was April 6, 2020. The filing deadline for nonpartisan elections was July 6, 2020.
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Arizona modified its voter registration procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
- Voter registration: Voters had until 5:00 p.m. on October 15, 2020, to register to vote.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Elections
Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.
Sheriff
General election
General election for Maricopa County Sheriff
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Paul Penzone (D) | 55.7 | 1,095,955 |
 | Jerry Sheridan (R)  | 44.2 | 869,748 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 3,355 | ||
| Total votes: 1,969,058 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Maricopa County Sheriff
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Paul Penzone | 100.0 | 375,970 |
| Total votes: 375,970 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- William Hall (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Maricopa County Sheriff
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jerry Sheridan | 37.4 | 156,818 |
 | Joe Arpaio | 36.0 | 150,656 | |
 | Mike Crawford | 26.3 | 110,271 | |
 | Lehland Burton (Write-in) | 0.3 | 1,136 | |
| Total votes: 418,881 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Four candidates ran in the Republican primary for Maricopa County sheriff. Joe Arpaio was the county's sheriff from 1992 to 2016. He lost his 2016 re-election bid to Democrat Paul Penzone 44% to 56%. Candidate Jerry Sheridan was chief deputy under Arpaio.
In July 2017, Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt when a judge ruled that he had violated a court order requiring him to stop detaining people suspected of being in the country illegally without reasonable suspicion that they had committed a crime. In August 2017, President Donald Trump (R) pardoned Arpaio.
Arpaio said if elected in 2020, "I'm telling you right now: I am going to do 90% of what I did during my 24 years."[1] Sheridan said Arpaio targeted Hispanic neighborhoods for traffic stops and was wrong to do so. Sheridan also said, "[Arpaio] did a lot of things for media attention. I will do things for the betterment of the citizens of Maricopa County, and good law enforcement practices."[2]
Security guard Lehland Burton and officer Mike Crawford also ran in the Republican primary.
Penzone was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Assessor
General election candidates
- Eddie Cook (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
- Aaron Connor (Democratic Party)
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Democratic primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Republican primary candidates
- Eddie Cook (Incumbent) ✔
- Rodney Glassman
Attorney
General election candidates
- Allister Adel (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
- Julie Gunnigle (Democratic Party)
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Democratic primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Republican primary candidates
- Allister Adel (Incumbent) ✔
Board of supervisors
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors 2020 General election |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
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| District 2 |
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Did not make the ballot: |
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| District 3 |
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| District 4 |
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| District 5 |
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Maricopa County Board of Supervisors 2020 Primary election |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
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| District 2 |
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| District 3 |
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| District 4 |
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| District 5 |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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Constable
Maricopa County Constable 2020 General election |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Arcadia Biltmore Precinct |
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| Country Meadow Precinct |
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| Desert Ridge Precinct |
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| Dreamy Draw Precinct |
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| Highland Precinct |
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| Kyrene Precinct |
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| Maryvale Precinct |
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| Moon Valley Precinct |
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| North Mesa Precinct |
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| San Tan Precinct |
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Maricopa County Constable 2020 Primary election |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Arcadia Biltmore Precinct |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| Country Meadow Precinct |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| Desert Ridge Precinct |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| Dreamy Draw Precinct |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| Highland Precinct |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| Kyrene Precinct |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| Maryvale Precinct |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| Moon Valley Precinct |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| North Mesa Precinct |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| San Tan Precinct |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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Justice of the peace
Maricopa County Justice of the Peace 2020 General election |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Arcadia Biltmore Precinct |
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| Country Meadows Precinct |
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| Desert Ridge Precinct |
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| Dreamy Draw Precinct |
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| Highland Precinct |
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| Maryvale Precinct |
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| McDowell Mountain Precinct |
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| Moon Valley Precinct |
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| North Mesa Precinct |
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| San Tan Precinct |
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Maricopa County Justice of the Peace 2020 Primary election |
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| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| Arcadia Biltmore Precinct |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| Country Meadows Precinct |
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The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| Desert Ridge Precinct |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| Dreamy Draw Precinct |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| Highland Precinct |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| Maryvale Precinct |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
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| McDowell Mountain Precinct |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| Moon Valley Precinct |
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| North Mesa Precinct |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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| San Tan Precinct |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
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Recorder
General election candidates
- Adrian Fontes (Incumbent) (Democratic Party)
- Stephen Richer (Republican Party) ✔
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Democratic primary candidates
- Adrian Fontes (Incumbent) ✔
Republican primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Special districts
Maricopa County Community College
At-large
General election candidates
- Linda Thor (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
- Shelli Richardson Boggs (Nonpartisan)
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
District 1
General election candidates
- Laurin Hendrix (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan)
- Jacqueline Smith (Nonpartisan) ✔
District 2
General election candidates
The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:
- Susan Bitter Smith (Nonpartisan) ✔
District 5
General election candidates
The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:
- Tom Nerini (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
Did not make the ballot:
- Charlene Tarver (Nonpartisan)
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Maricopa Integrated Health System
District 1
General election candidates
- Mary Harden (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
- John Farnsworth (Nonpartisan)
District 2
General election candidates
The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:
- Mark Dewane (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
District 5
General election candidates
The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:
- Mary Wilcox (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
East Valley Institute of Technology
District 2
General election candidates
The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:
- William Hobson (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) ✔
District 4
General election candidates
The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:
- Josh Hart (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) ✔
District 6
General election candidates
The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:
- David Lane (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
District 8
General election candidates
The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:
- LaMar Watkins (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
Western Maricopa Education Center
District 3
General election candidates
The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:
- Peter Pingerelli (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
District 4
General election candidates
- Barbara Wyllie (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
- Jewelene Bachanos (Nonpartisan)
District 5
General election candidates
- Dennis Dowling (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
- Kerry Duskin (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
- Edgardo Garcia (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
- Keith Gray (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)
- Mike Hutchinson (Nonpartisan) (Write-in) ✔
District 6
General election candidates
The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:
- Jim Migliorino (Incumbent) (Nonpartisan) ✔
Did not make the ballot:
- Richard Condit (Nonpartisan)
Superintendent of schools
General election candidates
- Steve Watson (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
- Jeanne Casteen (Democratic Party)
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Democratic primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Republican primary candidates
- Steve Watson (Incumbent) ✔
Treasurer
General election candidates
- Daniel Toporek (Democratic Party)
- John Allen (Republican Party) ✔
Democratic primary candidates
Republican primary candidates
- Royce Flora (Incumbent)
- John Allen ✔
Judicial
Superior Court retention election
Maricopa County Superior Court Retention election | |
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| Office | Candidates |
| Adam Driggs's seat |
 Adam Driggs (i) |
| Adele Ponce's seat |
Adele Ponce (i) |
| Bruce Cohen's seat |
Bruce Cohen (i) |
| Christopher A. Coury's seat |
Christopher A. Coury (i) |
| Christopher Whitten's seat |
Christopher Whitten (i) |
| Connie Contes's seat |
Connie Contes (i) |
| Daniel Kiley's seat |
Daniel Kiley (i) |
| David K. Udall's seat |
David K. Udall (i) |
| David Palmer's seat |
David Palmer (i) |
| Jay R. Adleman's seat |
Jay R. Adleman (i) |
| Jo Lynn Gentry's seat |
Jo Lynn Gentry (i) |
| John Hannah's seat |
John Hannah (i) |
| Joseph P. Mikitish's seat |
Joseph P. Mikitish (i) |
| Justin Beresky's seat |
Justin Beresky (i) |
| Karen Mullins's seat |
Karen Mullins (i) |
| Kathleen Mead's seat |
Kathleen Mead (i) |
| Kevin Wein's seat |
Kevin Wein (i) |
| Lisa Ann Vandenberg's seat |
Lisa Ann Vandenberg (i) |
| Lori Horn Bustamante's seat |
Lori Horn Bustamante (i) |
| Margaret Labianca's seat |
Margaret LaBianca (i) |
| Margaret R. Mahoney's seat |
Margaret R. Mahoney (i) |
| Michael Gordon's seat |
Michael Gordon (i) |
| Michael Kemp's seat |
Michael Kemp (i) |
| Michael Mandell's seat |
Michael Mandell (i) |
| Pamela Gates's seat |
Pamela Gates (i) |
| Patricia Starr's seat |
Patricia Starr (i) |
| Peter Thompson's seat |
Peter Thompson (i) |
| Rodrick Coffey's seat |
Rodrick Coffey (i) |
| Ronda Fisk's seat |
Ronda Fisk (i) |
| Sara Agne's seat |
Sara Agne (i) |
| Scott Blaney's seat |
Scott Blaney (i) |
| Scott McCoy's seat |
Scott McCoy (i) |
| Scott Minder's seat |
Scott Minder (i) |
| Sherry K. Stephens's seat |
Sherry K. Stephens (i) |
| Suzanne Cohen's seat |
Suzanne Cohen (i) |
| Suzanne Marwil's seat |
Suzanne Marwil (i) |
| Teresa A. Sanders's seat |
Teresa A. Sanders (i) |
| Timothy J. Ryan's seat |
Timothy J. Ryan (i) |
| Timothy Thomason's seat |
Timothy Thomason (i) |
| Todd Lang's seat |
Todd Lang (i) |
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Arizona elections, 2020
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in local elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many areas. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local election. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
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About the county
- See also: Maricopa County, Arizona
The county government of Maricopa County is located in Phoenix, Arizona. The county was first established in 1871.[3]
County government
- See also: Government of Maricopa County, Arizona
Maricopa County is overseen by a five-member board of supervisors. Each supervisor is elected by district to a four-year term. Residents also elect a county assessor, county attorney, county recorder, clerk of the superior court, county sheriff, county treasurer, constables, and justices of the peace.
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Maricopa County, Arizona | ||
|---|---|---|
| Maricopa County | Arizona | |
| Population | 4,420,568 | 7,151,502 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 9,201 | 113,654 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 73.8% | 73.8% |
| Black/African American | 5.7% | 4.5% |
| Asian | 4.2% | 3.3% |
| Native American | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Other (single race) | 7.1% | 6.9% |
| Multiple | 7.1% | 7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 31.1% | 31.5% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 88.4% | 87.9% |
| College graduation rate | 33.4% | 30.3% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $67,799 | $61,529 |
| Persons below poverty level | 12.7% | 14.1% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states. No counties in Arizona are Pivot Counties.
Donald Trump (R) defeated Hillary Clinton (D) in the 2016 presidential election. Trump won 48.7 percent of the vote, while Clinton won 45.1 percent. Arizona was one of 12 key battleground states in 2016. Of the 30 states won by Trump in 2016, Arizona had the fifth closest margin. From when it became a state in 1912 to 2016, Arizona voted Republican in 66.7 percent of presidential elections. It voted Republican in all presidential elections from 2000 to 2016.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Arizona. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[4][5]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 12 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 25 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 14 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 27.5 points. Clinton won two districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 18 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 22.9 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 16 out of 30 state House districts in Arizona with an average margin of victory of 21.5 points. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 30.1% | 68.2% | R+38.2 | 28.6% | 66.9% | R+38.3 | R |
| 2 | 57.2% | 41.6% | D+15.7 | 59.4% | 36.1% | D+23.2 | D |
| 3 | 70.0% | 28.1% | D+41.9 | 70.2% | 24.4% | D+45.8 | D |
| 4 | 54.3% | 44.2% | D+10.2 | 56.8% | 38.2% | D+18.7 | D |
| 5 | 28.1% | 70.0% | R+41.9 | 22.2% | 73.5% | R+51.3 | R |
| 6 | 42.2% | 55.6% | R+13.4 | 41.7% | 52.1% | R+10.4 | R |
| 7 | 63.2% | 35.4% | D+27.8 | 59.8% | 34.1% | D+25.7 | D |
| 8 | 44.7% | 53.5% | R+8.8 | 40.2% | 54.6% | R+14.4 | R |
| 9 | 53.4% | 44.9% | D+8.4 | 56.8% | 37.9% | D+18.9 | D |
| 10 | 51.8% | 46.5% | D+5.4 | 52.9% | 41.6% | D+11.4 | D |
| 11 | 39.7% | 59.0% | R+19.3 | 40.6% | 54.5% | R+13.9 | R |
| 12 | 32.5% | 65.9% | R+33.4 | 34.8% | 59.3% | R+24.5 | R |
| 13 | 33.5% | 65.1% | R+31.6 | 34.1% | 61.1% | R+27 | R |
| 14 | 35.7% | 62.5% | R+26.8 | 33.6% | 59.9% | R+26.2 | R |
| 15 | 36.4% | 61.9% | R+25.4 | 39.1% | 55.7% | R+16.6 | R |
| 16 | 35.0% | 63.1% | R+28.1 | 32.9% | 61.3% | R+28.4 | R |
| 17 | 42.1% | 56.2% | R+14.2 | 45.1% | 49.2% | R+4.1 | R |
| 18 | 48.1% | 50.0% | R+1.9 | 51.9% | 41.5% | D+10.4 | R |
| 19 | 66.4% | 32.1% | D+34.3 | 67.4% | 27.2% | D+40.3 | D |
| 20 | 42.4% | 55.3% | R+12.9 | 42.7% | 50.7% | R+8 | R |
| 21 | 40.6% | 58.0% | R+17.4 | 39.8% | 55.0% | R+15.2 | R |
| 22 | 33.4% | 65.4% | R+31.9 | 33.7% | 62.1% | R+28.4 | R |
| 23 | 35.9% | 62.9% | R+26.9 | 41.2% | 54.6% | R+13.3 | R |
| 24 | 63.2% | 34.4% | D+28.8 | 65.9% | 27.7% | D+38.3 | D |
| 25 | 33.1% | 65.1% | R+31.9 | 35.1% | 58.7% | R+23.6 | R |
| 26 | 58.3% | 38.5% | D+19.8 | 59.4% | 31.9% | D+27.5 | D |
| 27 | 75.2% | 23.2% | D+52 | 74.1% | 20.6% | D+53.5 | D |
| 28 | 44.6% | 53.6% | R+9 | 49.9% | 44.6% | D+5.3 | R |
| 29 | 64.7% | 33.6% | D+31.1 | 65.0% | 29.3% | D+35.7 | D |
| 30 | 61.3% | 36.7% | D+24.7 | 62.2% | 31.7% | D+30.5 | D |
| Total | 44.6% | 53.7% | R+9.1 | 45.5% | 49.0% | R+3.6 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
| Maricopa County, Arizona | Arizona | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Glendale Independent, "Joe Arpaio faces Glendale officer Mike Crawford in Republican primary for sheriff," July 27, 2020
- ↑ AZFamily.com, "Chief deputy of former Maricopa County sheriff hopes to upset his old boss in primary," July 31, 2020
- ↑ Maricopa County, Arizona, "About Maricopa County," accessed September 2, 2016
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
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