SCHOOL BOARD (CUSD) EVALUATIONS • CHANDLER UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT CANDIDATES • TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE GRADING • OBJECTIVE DATA FOR VOTERS
LOCAL CANDIDATE EVALUATIONS - 2026
EVALUATING CHANDLER’S
LOCAL LEADERS
There are many organizations that evaluate candidates, with different criteria and focus. But to our knowledge, there are no organizations that evaluate local candidates. This is partly because there are so many local races with multiple candidates in each race. Can you imagine trying just to gather the information for every mayor, council and school board in your state? So as we see it, this duty should fall to the legislative districts.
Selecting the best candidate that meets your political perspective is a difficult task because the local races here in Arizona are nonpartisan, meaning there is no primary race within each party. And with no guide to help, voters must rely on candidate information or tips from friends.
Here you can find information and data that we've collected to save you time and help you become better informed on current candidates and issues.
- A comprehensive list of candidates in each race
- A little information from candidate campaigns
- A short narrative about each candidate from our perspective
- A list of the people and organizations endorsing each candidate
- A list of incumbent candidate votes on key issues
- Evaluation of each vote cast
- Survey results for candidates with no voting record, if available
- A "simple" evaluation of each candidate
We hope our site helps you to be a more informed voter and that our residents benefit as a result. So, please share this site with all your Chandler Family and Friends so that our voters are comfortable exercising their duty to vote!
Where would you like to start?
PRIMARY ELECTION CALENDAR
GENERAL ELECTION CALENDAR
Critical Impact of Your Vote
Did you know that our Mayor and City Council Members are elected in the Primary Election? There is no primary for these non-partisan races. Voter turnout is typically low for Primary Elections and in Legislative District 13, our district, less than half of all eligible voters will cast a ballot in the Primary. Many ballots are only marked for the state and federal races, as people don't know the local candidates or the local issues. This means that only a very small number of voters in our community actually elects our local leaders. Very low turnouts amplify the power of every single vote.
City Councils act like the “board of directors” for your city: they pass local laws, approve budgets, set tax rates, handle zoning/land use, public safety, transportation, parks, housing, and business development. These directly affect roads you drive on, emergency services, parks, and how your tax dollars are spent. City council members… make decisions that directly impact your day-to-day life.
School Boards oversee budgets, curriculum, teacher hiring/firing, attendance boundaries, school safety, extracurriculars, and more for tens of millions of students. They approve spending on programs like arts, sports, mental health support, and equity initiatives. School quality impacts community quality. Even if you don’t have kids in school, these choices influence local property taxes, community quality, future workforce, and property values.
This Local Candidate Evaluation tool provides an objective lens through which to evaluate mayoral, city council, and school board candidates. By focusing on current issues and recorded positions (or survey responses), we help bridge the gap between political rhetoric and meaningful civic impact, ensuring every voter has the data needed to make an informed choice on Election Day.