Share on WeChat
https://www.powervoter.us:443/office/az_2020_general_election_state_house_dis16
Copy the link and open WeChat to share.
 Share on WeChat
Copy the link and open WeChat to share.
 Share on WeChat
Scan QRCode using WeChat,and then click the icon at the top-right corner of your screen.
 Share on WeChat
Scan QRCode using WeChat,and then click the icon at the top-right corner of your screen.

Arizona, State House, District 16

Arizona House of Representatives District 16
Current incumbentsJohn Fillmore Republican Party
Kelly Townsend Republican Party

Arizona’s sixteenth state house district is represented by Republican Representatives John Fillmore and Kelly Townsend.

Arizona state representatives represent an average of 106,534 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 85,511 residents.

About the office

Members of the Arizona House of Representatives serve two-year terms with term limits, limiting representatives to four terms (a total of eight years). Arizona legislators assume office on the first day of the session after they are elected. Each regular session begins on the second Monday in January.

Qualifications

Article 4, Part 2, Section 2 of the Arizona Constitution states: "No person shall be a member of the Legislature unless he shall be a citizen of the United States at the time of his election, nor unless he shall be at least twenty-five years of age, and shall have been a resident of Arizona at least three years and of the county from which he is elected at least one year before his election."

Salaries

State legislators
SalaryPer diem
$24,000/year$35/day for legislators who live in Maricopa County; $60/day for legislators who live outside of Maricopa County.

Term limits

The Arizona legislature is one of 15 state legislatures with term limits. Voters enacted the Arizona Term Limits Act in 1992. That initiative said that Arizona senators are subject to term limits of no more than four two-year terms, or a total of eight years.

The first year that the term limits enacted in 1992 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was in 2000.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the Arizona State Legislature, the Board of County Supervisors must select a replacement. The political party committee is involved in the appointment process only if the legislative district has thirty or more elected precinct committeemen.

If the legislative district has 30 or more elected precinct committeemen:

The secretary of state is required to contact the state party chairperson to give notice of the vacancy. The state chairperson must give notice of a meeting to fill the seat within three days of receiving notice.

The precinct committeemen must nominate three qualified electors as replacements. If the Legislature is in session, this must occur within five days. If the Legislature is out of session, the committeemen have 21 days to nominate potential replacements. Each elector must receive a majority of the committeemen to earn a nomination. The chair then forwards the three nominees to the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors appoints a nominee from the three names. If the committeemen do not submit a list of names within the allotted timeframe, the Board of Supervisors proceed with the vacancy as if the district had fewer than 30 elected precinct committeemen.

If the legislative district has fewer than 30 elected precinct committeemen:

The Board of County Supervisors appoints a panel of citizen supervisors within three business days of a vacancy occurring. That panel has seven business days to submit the name of three qualified electors of the same political party as the previous incumbent to the Board of Supervisors. Within five business days of receiving the list, the Board of Supervisors must select a replacement by a majority vote.

The person selected to fill the seat serves the remainder of the unfilled term.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of Arizona House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for August 4, 2020. The filing deadline is April 6, 2020.

2018

General election
General election for Arizona House of Representatives District 16 (2 seats)

Incumbent Kelly Townsend (R) and John Fillmore (R) defeated Sharon Stinard (D) and Richard Grayson (G) in the general election for Arizona House of Representatives District 16 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Kelly Townsend (R)
35.6
49,643

John Fillmore (R)
33.0
46,000

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Sharon Stinard (D)
23.0
32,018

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Richard Grayson (G)
8.4
11,646

Total votes: 139,307
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 16 (2 seats)

Sharon Stinard advanced from the Democratic primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 16 on August 28, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Sharon Stinard (D)
100
11,897

Total votes: 11,897
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 16 (2 seats)

Incumbent Kelly Townsend and John Fillmore defeated Lisa Godzich, Tara Phelps, and Stephen Kridler in the Republican primary for Arizona House of Representatives District 16 on August 28, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes

Kelly Townsend (R)
33.4
14,361

John Fillmore (R)
21.9
9,407

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Lisa Godzich (R)
19.7
8,475

Tara Phelps (R)
16.2
6,951

Silhouette Placeholder Image.png

Stephen Kridler (R)
8.7
3,758

Total votes: 42,952
(100.00% precincts reporting)

2016

Elections for the Arizona House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on August 30, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2016.

Incumbent Kelly Townsend and incumbent Doug Coleman defeated Sharon Stinard and Cara Prior in the Arizona House of Representatives District 16 general election.

Arizona House of Representatives, District 16 General Election, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Kelly Townsend Incumbent 33.58% 51,466
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Doug Coleman Incumbent 33.48% 51,312
Democratic Sharon Stinard 16.91% 25,912
Democratic Cara Prior 16.04% 24,581
Total Votes 153,271
Source: Arizona Secretary of State

Cara Prior and Sharon Stinard were unopposed in the Arizona House of Representatives District 16 Democratic Primary.

Arizona House of Representatives, District 16 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party Candidate
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Cara Prior
Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Sharon Stinard

Incumbent Doug Coleman and incumbent Kelly Townsend defeated John Fillmore and Adam Stevens in the Arizona House of Representatives District 16 Republican Primary.

Arizona House of Representatives, District 16 Republican Primary, 2016

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Doug Coleman Incumbent 29.82% 10,635
Republican Green check mark transparent.png Kelly Townsend Incumbent 34.17% 12,188
Republican John Fillmore 19.17% 6,838
Republican Adam Stevens 16.84% 6,006
Total Votes 35,667

2014

Elections for the Arizona House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on August 26, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 28, 2014. Cara Prior was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbents Doug Coleman and Kelly Townsend defeated John Fillmore and Adam Stevens in the Republican primary. Coleman and Townsend defeated Prior in the general election.

Arizona House of Representatives District 16, General Election, 2014

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDoug Coleman Incumbent 39.6% 28,908
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngKelly Townsend Incumbent 38.8% 28,300
Democratic Cara Prior 21.6% 15,792
Total Votes 73,000


Arizona House of Representatives, District 16 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngKelly Townsend Incumbent 38.3% 12,035
Green check mark transparent.pngDoug Coleman Incumbent 28.1% 8,826
John Fillmore 21.8% 6,856
Adam Stevens 11.8% 3,724
Total Votes 31,441

2012

Elections for the office of Arizona House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 28, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 30, 2012. RepublicansDoug Coleman and Kelly Townsend defeated Matthew Cerra and fellow Democratic write-in candidate Cara Prior and Green Party candidate Bill Maher. Coleman and Townsend defeated Jeff Davis and Judy Novalsky in the August 28 Republican primary. Cerra ran without primary opposition.

Arizona House of Representatives, District 16, General Election, 2012

Party Candidate Vote % Votes
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDoug Coleman 35.4% 41,063
Republican Green check mark transparent.pngKelly Townsend 35.1% 40,720
Democratic Matthew Cerra 21.5% 24,942
Democratic Cara Prior (Write-in) 7.8% 9,094
Green Party Bill Maher 0.2% 234
Total Votes 116,053

Arizona House of Representatives, District 16 Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngKelly Townsend 31.5% 9,398
Green check mark transparent.pngDoug Coleman 26.9% 8,021
Jeff Davis 23.7% 7,064
Judy Novalsky 17.9% 5,328
Total Votes 29,811

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for Arizona House of Representatives District 16 raised a total of $1,248,362. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $26,008 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Arizona House of Representatives District 16

Year Amount Candidates Average
2016 $281,643 6 $46,941
2014 $146,772 5 $29,354
2012 $147,107 7 $21,015
2010 $246,435 8 $30,804
2008 $93,577 6 $15,596
2006 $107,753 6 $17,959
2004 $95,796 5 $19,159
2002 $58,230 3 $19,410
2000 $71,049 2 $35,525
Total $1,248,362 48 $26,008