2020 Arizona elections
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Elections were held in the U.S. state of Arizona on November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 General Election. Arizona voters chose 11 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote. Three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission were up for election, as were all nine of Arizona seats in the United States House of Representatives, and one of its seats in the United States Senate. Primary elections were held in August 2020. Paper ballots for voting by mail were sent to all registered voters in the state.[1]
Federal offices
U.S. President
Arizona was represented by 11 electors in the electoral college. Joe Biden won the state with 49% of the popular vote. This was the first time a Democratic presidential candidate won Arizona since Bill Clinton in 1996.
U.S. Senate
A special election was held due to the death of Republican senator and presidential candidate John McCain.
Former U.S. senator Jon Kyl was originally appointed to the seat, but Kyl resigned on December 31, 2018. Outgoing U.S. Representative Martha McSally was then appointed to fill the seat following Kyl's resignation.[2]
Democrat Mark Kelly defeated McSally, winning 51% of the vote.
U.S. House of Representatives
All nine of Arizona’s seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2020. Before the election, Republicans held 4 seats and Democrats 5. No districts changed hands, and thus Democrats maintained control.
State offices
Corporation Commission
Three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission were up for election. Republican Bob Burns was term-limited and therefore ineligible to run for re-election to a third term in office.[3]
Republican primary
Candidates
- Lea Márquez Peterson, incumbent. Appointed to replace Andy Tobin.
- Eric Sloan, candidate for the commission in 2018.
- James O'Connor, candidate for the commission in 2018 (nominated via write-in).[4][5]
- Not on the Ballot
- Avery Block
- Boyd Dunn, incumbent. Removed for insufficient signatures.[6]
- Neil DeSanti
- Dave Farnsworth, state senator. Dropped out.[7]
- Kim Owens, public relations executive. Removed for insufficient signatures.[8]
- Patrick Tucker
- Nick Myers, legislative candidate in 2018.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Bill Mundell, former Republican state representative and commissioner.
- Anna Tovar, Mayor of Tolleson, Arizona. Former state senator.
- Shea Stanfield
- Not on the Ballot
- John Dougherty III
- Paul Newman, former commissioner.
General election
Polling
Each voter selected up to three candidates in the state Corporation Commission general election; with the top three vote-getters winning the seats. Consequently, poll results in the table immediately below are displayed as the accumulation of a candidate's first, second and third preferences and therefore sum to 300%, instead of 100%. Where a given percentage of voters are not decided with respect to multiple choices, that percentage is multiplied by the number of choices for which they are undecided (so, for instance, if 1% of voters had not picked any candidate, they would be listed in the table below as 3% of the total vote).
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Anna Tovar (D) |
Lea Márquez Peterson (R) |
Bill Mundell (D) |
Shea Stanfield (D) |
James O'Connor (R) |
Eric Sloan (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patinkin Research Strategies/Arizona Research Consortium (D) | October 21–24, 2020 | 729 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 37% | 31% | 25% | 24% | 21% | 20% | 69% |
| Patinkin Research Strategies/Arizona Research Consortium (D) | October 1–3, 2020 | 604 (LV) | ± 3.8% | 32% | 30% | 29% | 28% | 31% | 31% | 96% |
| Patinkin Research Strategies/Arizona Research Consortium (D) | September 10–13, 2020 | 679 (LV) | ± 3.8% | 28% | 26% | 27% | 26% | 29% | 27% | 120% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Anna Tovar | 1,450,194 | 17.5 | |
| Republican | Lea Márquez Peterson (incumbent) | 1,449,963 | 17.5 | |
| Republican | James O'Connor | 1,434,236 | 17.3 | |
| Republican | Eric Sloan | 1,379,804 | 16.7 | |
| Democratic | Bill Mundell | 1,295,836 | 15.7 | |
| Democratic | Shea Stanfield | 1,264,909 | 15.3 | |
| Independent | Christina Gibson (write-in) | 411 | 0.0 | |
| Republican | Patrick Finerd (write-in) | 232 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 8,275,585 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
Ballot initiatives
Two initiatives were approved for the General Election ballot.[10]
Proposition 207
Proposition 207, the Smart and Safe Arizona Act, is to legalize and tax cannabis for adult use.
Polling
Likely voters polled in July 2020 indicated 62% support for cannabis legalization.[11]
- On Proposition 207
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
For Proposition 207 | Against Proposition 207 | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OH Predictive Insights | October 22–25, 2020 | 716 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 60% | 36% | 0%[b] | 4% |
| Monmouth University | October 11–13, 2020 | 502 (RV) | ± 4.4% | 56% | 36% | 0%[c] | 7% |
| OH Predictive Insights | October 4–8, 2020 | 608 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 55% | 37% | 1%[d] | 7% |
| Suffolk University | September 26–30, 2020 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 46% | 34% | 1%[e] | 19% |
| Strategies 360/Smart and Safe Arizona[A] | September 24–29, 2020 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | 57% | 38% | – | 5% |
| Monmouth University | September 11–15, 2020 | 420 (RV) | ± 4.8% | 51% | 41% | 3%[f] | 6% |
| Strategies 360/Smart and Safe Arizona [1][B] | Early August, 2020 | – (V)[g] | – | 57% | 37% | – | 6% |
| HighGround Inc. | May 18–22, 2020 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 66% | 25% | – | 9%[h] |
- On whether recreational marijuana should be legal
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Yes | No | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OH Predictive Insights | September 8–10, 2020 | 600 (LV) | ± 4% | 45% | 44% | 0%[i] | 9% |
| OH Predictive Insights | July 6–7, 2020 | 600 (LV) | ± 4% | 62% | 32% | No voters[j] | 6% |
| OH Predictive Insights | December 3–4, 2019 | 628 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 51% | 42% | – | 7% |
| OH Predictive Insights | October 31 – November 8, 2019 | 900 (RV) | ± 3.3% | 54% | 33% | – | 13% |
| OH Predictive Insights | August 13–14, 2019 | 600 (LV) | ± 4% | 50% | 40% | – | 10% |
| OH Predictive Insights Archived 2020-09-20 at the Wayback Machine | February 12–13, 2019 | 600 (LV) | ± 4% | 52% | 41% | – | 7% |
Proposition 208
Proposition 208, the Invest in Education Act, is to impose a 3.5% income tax surcharge on high earners and invest the revenue generated in education.[12]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
For Proposition 208 | Against Proposition 208 | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patinkin Research Strategies | October 21–24, 2020 | 729 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 55% | 40% | – | 5% |
| Monmouth University | October 11–13, 2020 | 502 (RV) | ± 4.4% | 60% | 34% | 1%[k] | 5% |
| OH Predictive Insights | October 4–8, 2020 | 608 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 55% | 39% | 0%[l] | 6% |
| Data Orbital | October 3–5, 2020 | 550 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 51% | 37% | – | 12% |
| HighGround Inc. | September 28 – October 5, 2020 | 400 (LV) | ± 4.9% | 56% | 38% | – | 6%[m] |
| Patinkin Research Strategies | October 1–3, 2020 | 604 (LV) | ± 3.8% | 55% | 37% | – | 9% |
| Suffolk University/USA Today | September 26–30, 2020 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 47% | 37% | 1%[n] | 15% |
| Monmouth University | September 11–15, 2020 | 420 (RV) | ± 4.8% | 66% | 21% | 1%[o] | 7% |
See also
- Elections in Arizona
- Bilingual elections requirement for Arizona (per Voting Rights Act Amendments of 2006)[13]
Notes
- ^ a b c d Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - ^ "Refused" with 0%
- ^ Would not vote with 0%
- ^ "Refused" with 1%
- ^ "Refused" with 1%
- ^ Would not vote with 3%
- ^ Not yet released
- ^ Includes "Refused"
- ^ "Refused" with 0%
- ^ "Refused" with no voters
- ^ Would not vote with 1%
- ^ "Refused" with 0%
- ^ Includes "Refused"
- ^ "Refused" with 1%
- ^ Would not vote with 1%
- Partisan clients
References
- ^ Lily Hay Newman (August 27, 2020), "How to Vote by Mail and Make Sure It Counts", Wired.com, archived from the original on October 6, 2020
- ^ Sanchez, Yvonne Wingett; Hansen, Ronald J. (December 18, 2018). "Martha McSally will be appointed to John McCain's Senate seat". Arizona Republic. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
- ^ Rosenblatt, Dillon (July 2, 2019). "Ties run deep, many between APS and Republican candidates for utility regulator | Arizona Capitol Times".
- ^ "GOP write-in candidates face steep challenges in Corp Comm campaign". May 19, 2020.
- ^ Randazzo, Ryan. "Successful write-in candidate for Corporation Commission gives Republicans a full slate for November". The Arizona Republic.
- ^ Oxford, Andrew. "Judge removes Boyd Dunn from Arizona Corporation Commission ballot over forged signatures". The Arizona Republic.
- ^ Services, Howard Fischer Capitol Media. "2 Republican candidates lose bids to qualify for Arizona Corp Comm ballot". Arizona Daily Star.
- ^ Oxford, Andrew. "Arizona Corporation Commission candidate Kim Owens bumped from ballot". The Arizona Republic.
- ^ "State of Arizona - Official Canvass - 2020 General Election" (PDF). Arizona Secretary of State. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "Proposition 207 – Sample Ballot/Ballot Format" (PDF). Arizona Secretary of State. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ Michael Lucie (July 21, 2020), Support for marijuana legalization jumps among voters in Arizona poll, Glendale, Arizona: KTAR-FM
- ^ "Arizona: Dems Ahead for Prez, Senate". Monmouth University. September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ "Covered Areas for Voting Rights Bilingual Election Materials—2015", Voting Rights Act Amendments of 2006, Determinations Under Section 203, Federal Register, retrieved October 13, 2020,
A Notice by the Census Bureau on 12/05/2016
Further reading
- David Weigel; Lauren Tierney (September 22, 2020), "The 50 political states of America", Washingtonpost.com, archived from the original on October 11, 2020,
Arizona
- Maggie Astor (October 15, 2020), "For the Navajo Nation, 'Everything Takes Time,' Including Voting", New York Times
External links
- League of Women Voters of Arizona, March 16, 2018 (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
- Primary Candidates
- National Institute on Money in Politics; Campaign Finance Institute, "Arizona 2019 & 2020 Elections", OpenSecrets
- "State Elections Legislation Database", Ncsl.org, Washington, D.C.: National Conference of State Legislatures,
State legislation related to the administration of elections introduced in 2011 through this year, 2020
- Official campaign websites for Corporation Commission
