PHOENIX - Ballots are being counted for municipal elections in two East Valley cities Tuesday night.
Incumbent Tempe Mayor in 2nd Place
The incumbent Mayor of Tempe is currently behind in votes, according to unofficial results provided by the Maricopa County Elections Department.
Mark Mitchell, who was elected to the Tempe City Council in March 2000 and served for 12 years before being elected mayor in 2012, is running behind challenger Corey Woods.
As of 8:30 p.m., Woods has received 13,695 votes, compared to 10,517 votes for Mitchell.
Former Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, who is now a congressman, has congratulated Woods.
Rep. Stanton represents Arizona's 9th Congressional District, which covers the City of Tempe.
The city is also having an election for City Council members, in which the top three vote-getters will win the race. As of 8:30 p.m., Doreen Garlid, Joel Navarro and Randy Keating are ahead in votes in a race involving five candidates. The other two candidates are Casey Clowes and Marc Norman.
"Yes" vote ahead for Chandler Election Dates Proposition
Residents in Chandler voted on a ballot proposition that will change when the city will hold its elections.
Under the current Chandler City Charter, city elections are to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each even-numbered year, with primary elections held on the 10th Tuesday prior to the date of the regular election.
If the ballot proposition passes, municipal general and primary elections in Chandler would be held concurrently with election consolidation dates, which is detailed in state law.
According to unofficial election results provided by the Maricopa County Elections Department, there are 33,110 "yes" votes as of 8:30 p.m. Monday.
Low Turnouts Reported
County elections officials are reporting low turnout for the elections, with 27.01% of eligible voters casting a ballot for the Tempe races, and 22.84% of eligible voters in Chandler casting a ballot for the proposition.
Elections officials say more ballots were dropped off by voters on Tuesday, and more unofficial results will be released Wednesday aftenoon.