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March 15, 2008 - 1:08AM
Tempe voter turnout down this year
Comments | RecommendGarin Groff, Tribune
Fewer Tempe residents voted in city elections this year than in other recent mayoral elections, according to official results released Friday.
Mayor Hugh Hallman's re-election was practically assured before the polls opened.
Hallman, the only mayoral candidate on the ballot, received 12,839 votes, according to the official results.
The total number of ballots cast was 15,783 - representing 23 percent of all active registered voters in the city.
In each of the last two elections for mayor, 25 percent of voters turned out. However, both of those races involved at least two nominated candidates.
Hallman's only opponent Tuesday was Derek Lull, an 18-year-old senior at Corona del Sol High School who ran as a write-in candidate. He received 586 votes.
The ballot included far more choices for City Council, with seven candidates competing for three positions.
Mark Mitchell was the only candidate to win outright, which requires getting more than half the number of ballots cast for each of the three open seats. Mitchell, an incumbent, will now serve his third term.
The other incumbent in the race, Hut Hutson, did not win outright and faces a four-way runoff on May 20 for the remaining two seats against challengers Julie Jakubek, Joel Navarro and Corey Woods.
Darryl Jacobson-Barnes and Rhett Wilson were eliminated.
Turnout was slightly higher than average for a City Council election, which had been about 20 percent since 1998.
The lowest turnout during that time was in the 1998 general election, when just 12 percent voted.
The highest was for the unsuccessful recall election against Neil Giuliano in 2001, which brought 32 percent of registered voters to the polls.
Final election results
MAYOR
Hugh Hallman: 12,839 votes; 81%
Derek Lull (write-in): 586 votes; 4%
CITY COUNCIL
Mark Mitchell: 8,693 votes; 55%
Corey Woods: 7,084 votes; 45%
Joel Navarro: 6,544 votes; 41%
Hut Hutson: 6,522 votes; 41%
Julie Jakubek: 6,117 votes; 39%
Darryl Jacobson-Barnes: 3,372 votes; 21%
Rhett Wilson: 2,800 votes; 18%
Percentages based on total ballots cast, not votes for each elective office.
SOURCE: Tempe
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