By Laura Gómez | The Republic
Brannon Hampton would’ve won his Goodyear City Council seat in March if not for an ambiguous system for tallying votes that forced him into a runoff race with the next highest vote-getter.
He won the race in May, but it meant two more months of campaign spending for him. And it meant the city had to pay nearly $90,000 to hold the runoff election.
This month, the City Council unanimously agreed to change its system for tallying votes in an effort to curb costs by making it easier, in some situations, for candidates to secure the 50 percent plus one vote needed to win in the primary.
The change means the city will no longer count “over votes” or “under votes,” joining most other West Valley cities in the practice.
