Want to “win outright” in Scottsdale?

You better tap into “the indies.”

According to Maricopa County’s election website, Scottsdale has 168,455 registered voters.

Of those, 69,459 are registered as Republicans.

Another 40,718 are registered as Democrats – but that’s not the second-largest group.

Scottsdale’s “independents” total 55,581.

That does not necessarily mean these people declare as members of the American Independent Party – just that they do not declare as Democrat or Republican.

“Don’t label me,” this huge group collectively growls.

According to Scottdale’s primary pamphlet, “Voters who are not affiliated with any political party … will not automatically receive a ballot for Scottsdale’s July 21, 2026 Primary Election. 

“Voters who are not affiliated with a political party have the

option of requesting a political party ballot of their choice or a Scottsdale-only ballot.”

Some of Scottsdale’s eight candidates – Crystal Carroll, Barry Graham, Ethan Knowlden, Bob Littlefield, Eric Sloan, Michelle Ugenti-Rita, Solange Whitehead and Raoul Zubia – can boast of receiving endorsements from local Republican or Democratic groups.

But none can brag, “I’m big with the no-label folks.”

Those likely will be the key voters who help narrow down the field.

Three scenarios exist.

Three candidates can “win outright,” leaving no Scottsdale seats to be decided in November.

Two candidates can land enough votes to win outright this week, with the third and fourth-place finishers battling it out for the remaining seat in November.

Or, if votes are dispersed and no candidate wins outright, the top six finishers will all be on the November ballot.

How to score a seat outright?

“Any candidate who receives at the Primary Election a majority of the legal votes cast for that candidate’s race is declared to be elected at the Primary to the office for which he or she is a candidate,” according to Scottsdale’s pamphlet.

“A ‘majority’ is calculated by dividing the total number of legal votes cast in each candidate’s race by the number of seats to be filled, dividing that number in half, and rounding to the next highest whole number.”

In this case, dividing the total votes by six provides the “magic number.”

While voters can choose their three favorite candidates, some only pick one or two.

So, as an easy example, if 50,000 Scottsdale residents vote and make a combined 120,000 selections, any of the three who top 20,000 votes would win a City Council seat.

The 2022 Scottsdale primary had a voter turnout of just under 40%, with 64,017 voting.

In 2024, 44% of registered voters participated in the Scottsdale primary.

Back in 2014, voter turnout for the Scottsdale primary was under 30%.