Pima County Finalizes Primary Vote Tally, Election Results Stand Firm

The final votes from Pima County’s primary election, held last Tuesday, were tallied on Monday.

Despite candidates’ hopes for a dramatic change in outcomes, the final count did not alter any results from Friday’s tally. Notably, a Marana Town Council seat was decided by a narrow margin of just 14 votes.

The primary election determines which candidates proceed to the Nov. 5 general election for various positions, including U.S. Senate, Congress, county supervisors, and constable roles.

Overall, Pima County officials processed 197,225 ballots, reflecting a turnout of 31 percent. Among party lines, about 50 percent of Republicans and 46 percent of Democrats participated in their respective primaries.

Of those voting, a significant 88 percent—accounting for 173,614 voters—chose to cast early ballots or drop them off on Election Day.

In South Side Justice Precinct 9’s constable race, an unexpected twist emerged. Incumbent George Camacho was disqualified due to insufficient valid signatures. As a result, write-in candidate Gerard Acuña amassed 246 votes, falling short of the 492 necessary to secure a spot on the November ballot. Without a qualifying candidate, the November ballot will remain vacant for this position, although new write-in candidates can still register by Sept. 26.

Incumbents faced close contests in various cities and towns, with some struggling to maintain their positions.

In the race for Marana Town Council, challenger Patrick Cavanaugh secured 7,091 votes, while incumbent Councilmember Roxanne Ziegler received 6,893. Challenger Melissa Zupi narrowly missed winning a seat, with just 14 fewer votes than Ziegler.

This slim margin could invoke Arizona’s revised election recount law. Pima County Elections Director Constance Hargrove noted that the vote difference falls within the recount margin of one-half of 1 percent. However, it is up to Marana to formally request the recount, which Hargrove expects they will.

The 2022 adjustment to the recount threshold, reduced from 0.1 percent to 0.05 percent, has increased the likelihood of such procedures. However, a recount in this race could face challenges due to the involvement of three candidates.

Moreover, in South Tucson, voters elected four City Council members: Dulce Jimenez (272 votes), Pablo A. Robles (259 votes), Melissa Dominguez (223 votes), and Paul Diaz (154 votes). Incumbent Herman Lopez was not re-elected, receiving only 129 votes.

In Oro Valley, challengers Elizabeth Robb (10,498 votes) and Mary Murphy (10,043 votes) led the race for three Town Council seats, while incumbent Harry “Mo” Greene secured the third seat with 8,147 votes. Tim Bowen, gathering 7,592 votes, did not succeed in his re-election bid.

Historically, recounts in Arizona seldom alter the overall election results. For instance, in the 2022 attorney general race between Kris Mayes and Abe Hamadeh, the recount did not bridge the 289-vote gap out of 2.5 million votes. Similarly, the 2014 congressional contest between U.S. Rep. Ron Barber and Martha McSally saw only a minor increase of six votes for McSally after a recount, who won by a mere 167 votes out of 219,261 cast.