Voter profile by precinct reveals three-way split in Maricopa

Nearly 13,000 of 33,000 residents of Maricopa are registered to vote in the General Election on Tuesday, but what political leanings do they possess, and how evenly are their differences split and where are the polls?

Pinal County records reveal that Maricopa voters are split nearly equally into thirds between Democrats, Republicans and other political parties, although both Republicans and members of other parties claim slightly more each than Democrats overall.

Furthermore, the breakdown along party lines appears to be fairly consistent from neighborhood to neighborhood.

What does this mean in a non-partisan election for City Council candidates?

Perhaps nothing. But it could be an indication of how conservative or liberal voters might be, and by extension, their perception of the candidates’ views as being conservative or liberal could influence their vote.

Which candidates are conservative and which are liberal, however, might be up for debate.

Two of the candidate, Kelly Haddad and Will Dunn, are incumbants whose voting records are public and have been covered much in local media. Most recently, The two locked heads on the matter of annexation, when Haddad was the single abstaining vote in the city’s recent passage of an ordinance welcoming just more than 13 square miles into Maricopa. Dunn supported the move wholeheartedly.

Haddad explained his opposition to the move by citing the need to be fiscally conservative in a time of economic downturn.

Dunn expressed the need to have vision for the future, and to have the intestinal fortitude to do what needed to be done, even if in the short-term it might hurt a bit.

Two newcomers, Marvin L. Brown and Carl Diedrich, have staked their campaigns on change, although Diedrich has been a more vocal proponent of change for change’s sake than Brown.

Brown’s Web site says he stands for economic development, transportation, good government and public safety.

Diedrich’s Web site says he stands for responsible government, sound procedural governance, public safety and economic development.

In the end, it is voters who will decide which issues are most important, and who is best qualified to implement promises made to sway voters their way during what have been, at times, heated campaigns.

Here is the breakdown of registered voters in Maricopa and where they vote:

Dems Reps Other Count

MARICOPA 3,822 4,520 4,411 12,753

30 MARICOPA 1,036 1,086 1,136 3,258
First Baptist Church, 18705 N. John Wayne Parkway

78 MARICOPA MEADOWS 870 926 901 2,697
Maricopa Comm. Church, 44977 W. Hathaway

79 MARICOPA FIESTA 500 668 622 1,790
Villages at Rancho El Dorado, Club House, 20991 N. Butterfield Parkway

73 EL DORADO 586 725 730 2,041
Santa Rosa Elementary School, 21400 N. Santa Rosa Drive

74 SANTA ROSA 654 801 789 2,244
Global Water, 22590 N. Powers Parkway

80 PROVINCE 238 370 279 887
Province Community Town Hall, 20942 N. Province Parkway

Source: Pinal County Web site