November election not over (yet!): What you need to know about Phoenix's City Council runoff races

PHOENIX - If you think the November 2022 election is over and done with, think again.

In parts of Phoenix, voters will have a chance to select a city council member in a runoff election scheduled for March.

Here's what you need to know about the races.

Why are we voting again?

According to the City of Phoenix website, voters in City Council Districts 2, 4, 6, and 8 took part in a city council election on Nov. 8, 2022.

Officials say under city rules, a candidate need to receive a majority of votes, defined as 50% of the votes plus one vote, in order to win the position they are running for. Failing that, a runoff election will need to be held.

According to the final results from the November 2022 city council election, Jim Waring and Laura Pastor managed to avoid a runoff in District 2 and District 4, respectively, by obtaining votes over the threshold. Waring won 52.8% of the votes cast in his district, while Pastor was running unopposed, and received 97.55% of the votes cast.

What happened in District 6 and 8?

According to the final results, no one met the threshold for avoiding a runoff election in Districts 6 and 8. Both districts saw more than two candidates running for the same seat.

In District 6, a total of eight candidates ran in the November election to succeed Sal DiCiccio, who said on Twitter that he is term-limited out of office.

In District 8, four candidates, including incumbent Carlos Garcia, ran for the seat in November.

I don't know what district I'm in!

You can find your city council district on the City of Phoenix's website.

So, what happens now?

According to city officials, the top two vote-getters in the November election will be on the runoff election ballot for the district they are running in.

For District 6, Kevin Robinson will face Sam Stone in the runoff race, while in District 8, incumbent Carlos Garcia will face Kesha Hodge Washington in the runoff.

Is it common for Phoenix to have runoff elections?

Runoff elections are a regular feature of Phoenix political life in the past two decades.

According to information provided by the City of Phoenix on their website, runoff elections for City Council seats were held in:

2001 (Districts 2 and 8)
2007 (Districts 3 and 7)
2009 (District 6)
2011 (Mayor, Districts 1 and 5)
2013 (Districts 4 and 8)
2017 (District 3)
2019 (Mayor)
2021 (Districts 3 and 7)

Information on election results prior to 2001 are not available online.

How can I vote?

Early Voting by Mail

According to city officials, people on the Active Early Voting List will automatically receive an early ballot, unless they submitted a request to not receive a ballot.

Early ballots, according to the city's website, are being mailed out, starting on Feb. 15.

Early in-person voting

Officials say voters who want to vote early in person can cast their ballot in between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., from Feb. 15 to Mar. 10, at the Phoenix City Hall at the 15th floor of 200 W. Washington St. in Downtown phoenix.

"Before receiving a ballot, voters must provide valid identification when voting early in person," a portion of the website reads. "Accessible voting devices that allow voters with disabilities to vote independently will be available for this election on the 15th floor."