Scottsdale's election math, explained
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The eight-candidate Scottsdale City Council election free-for-all hit a mathematical wall Tuesday night.
Why it matters: The race garnered intrigue in recent months over law enforcement technology company Axon's alleged election meddling.
- Now, the spotlight's shifted to an unusual election formula that will shape the November ballot.
How it works: Rules dictate that whoever wins the majority wins the seat. But the process of calculating this winning threshold is complicated.
- The "majority" is determined by dividing the total number of votes cast by the number of open seats, and dividing that number by half, according to Scottsdale's charter.
By the numbers: Since ballots are still being counted, let's lean on the unofficial results for a rough idea.
- 146,765 total votes had been counted as of Wednesday morning.
- Dividing that by 3 (for the number of open seats) brings us to 48,921.67.
- Half of that is 24,460.83. Round up, and that's the majority threshold.
State of Play: Only incumbent Solange Whitehead, a conservationist, is currently tracking to win a seat outright with 25,902 votes.
Caveat: No more than two candidates can run for a council seat in the general election. If Solange clears the threshold, only four out of the seven remaining candidates will advance to the runoffs.
- The race for the remaining spots remains fluid.
- As of Wednesday afternoon, the top four vote getters after Whitehead were: former state lawmaker Michelle Ugenti-Rita, incumbent Barry Graham, former council member Bob Littlefield and civic leader and community advocate Raoul Zubia.
The bottom line: The vote is extremely split, so another batch of results could reshuffle the entire field before the results are certified.