The Chandler section of your ballot

November 3, 2026 general election. Six items, all drawn from the official City of Chandler 2026 General Election Pamphlet. One is about real money. The rest are charter housekeeping, explained honestly as such.

Proposition 430: Home Rule (the city spending limit)

In one sentence: Chandler asks to keep setting its own city spending limit for four more years instead of falling back to a state formula written around 1980.

Arizona's constitution caps how much a city may spend using a formula based on 1979-80 service levels, adjusted for population and inflation. Cities may ask voters, every four years, to approve a local alternative instead, after which the council sets the limit each year following a public hearing. Chandler voters have approved Home Rule every four years since 1982. This vote covers fiscal years 2028 through 2031.

About $257 million of spending room is the difference.

For fiscal 2028, Chandler estimates it could spend about $1,129,363,252 under Home Rule, versus about $871,887,658 under the state formula. The revenue is the same either way, about $1.13 billion. This measure creates no tax and raises no rate. It decides how much of the money the city already collects it is allowed to spend.

A YES vote

Continues the local limit through fiscal 2031. The council sets the spending ceiling annually after a public hearing.

A NO vote

The state formula applies. Chandler would collect roughly the same revenue but be barred from spending about $257 million of it in fiscal 2028, which in practice means service cuts, deferred projects, or money sitting unspent.

For: the state formula reflects the Chandler of 1980, a far smaller city, and the Chandler Chamber of Commerce supports renewal. Against: the standing argument is that the state cap is a discipline device, and local control means trusting the council with the larger number every four years without a fight.

Question 1: The APS franchise

In one sentence: whether Arizona Public Service gets a 25-year franchise to build and work in Chandler's public rights-of-way, in exchange for a 2 percent fee that funds city services.

Under Ordinance No. 5160, the franchise would run January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2051, and it is non-exclusive. APS pays the city a franchise fee of 2 percent of its revenue from customers inside Chandler, which goes to general city services. Crews need a legal right to dig, string, and repair lines in streets and easements; the franchise is that right, on the city's terms for construction, maintenance, liability, and insurance.

A YES vote

Grants the 25-year franchise on the ordinance's terms. The 2 percent fee continues funding general services.

A NO vote

APS is left without a current franchise agreement for work in Chandler rights-of-way, which the city and APS would then have to sort out. It does not switch your power company.

The misconception to skip: this question does not decide who provides your electricity, what your rates are, or whether APS is your utility. Rates are set by the Arizona Corporation Commission (see our commission page). This is about legal access to public land and the fee the city charges for it.

Proposition 431: When the vice-mayor is picked

In one sentence: the vice-mayor would be selected at the first regular council meeting each January, instead of "within 31 days of taking office."

A YES vote

Pins the selection to a specific, predictable meeting each year.

A NO vote

Keeps the current 31-day window language.

No arguments for or against were submitted to the official pamphlet. This is a housekeeping clarification, and it is fine to treat it as one.

Proposition 432: Resign to run for mayor

In one sentence: a council member whose term runs past the next mayor taking office must resign upon filing to run for mayor, matching state law.

A YES vote

Aligns the city charter with Arizona's resign-to-run statute. A council member cannot hold their seat as a fallback while running for mayor.

A NO vote

Keeps the charter's current wording, which sits out of step with the state rule it mirrors.

No arguments for or against were submitted to the official pamphlet.

Proposition 433: One reading for ordinances instead of two

In one sentence: Chandler ordinances would be considered once instead of twice before adoption, with publication and a public hearing still required.

Today the charter requires two considerations, an introduction and a second meeting for final adoption, which builds in a pause of days or weeks between a proposal appearing and becoming law. Under 433, the ordinance is still published and still gets a noticed meeting where anyone may be heard, and if it is amended in substance it must go through the full process again before adoption.

A YES vote

Faster council action; one less procedural step for routine and urgent measures alike.

A NO vote

Keeps the built-in cooling-off period, the public's guaranteed second look between introduction and passage.

No arguments for or against were submitted to the official pamphlet. This is the one housekeeping item with a real tradeoff: government speed versus a structural pause that exists so residents can react before a vote becomes final.

Proposition 434: City leaders must live in Chandler

In one sentence: the city manager and every employee appointed directly by the City Council must establish residency in Chandler within 12 months of appointment.

A YES vote

The people who run the city must live in it, within a year of taking the job.

A NO vote

No charter residency deadline for the city manager and council appointees.

No arguments for or against were submitted to the official pamphlet. The practical tradeoff, unstated in the pamphlet: residency rules are a statement about accountability and stake in the community, and they also narrow the recruiting pool for senior city jobs.

How to vote without getting your ballot rejected

Mail it by Tuesday, October 27, 2026. After that day, do not mail it: use a drop box or a vote center.
It must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Postmarks do not count.
Sign and date the affidavit envelope, and write a current phone number on it. If your signature is questioned, the county will use that number to reach you.
Leaving any item blank is allowed. It does not affect the rest of your ballot.

Sources

All six items, official text, figures, and pamphlet arguments: City of Chandler 2026 General Election Pamphlet and Sample Ballot, City Clerk Jennifer Ekblad: chandleraz.gov (PDF)
Home Rule figures are the City's fiscal 2028 estimates as printed in the pamphlet (with Home Rule about $1,129,363,252; under the state formula about $871,887,658; revenue about $1.13 billion either way).

Ballot Math: analysis only, no endorsements. Housekeeping measures get the same honesty as big ones: if there is no real controversy, this page says so. Back to Ballot Math home.