The 2026 SRP election ended April 7. In the two at-large races counted per person, Clean Energy candidates O'Brien and Mohr-Almeida won by roughly 2 to 1 (23,496 vs 12,251 / 23,054 vs 12,581). In the two at-large races counted per acre, the corporate slate took both: Dobson over Sandra Kennedy by 5,441 to 4,019; Paceley over Clowes and Woods. Same ballot. Same voters. Different math.
SRP itself published this scoreboard on April 10. The same ballot ran two voting rules. The Clean Energy slate swept the per-person side and lost both per-acre races. The acre rule is the only thing that flipped Pres and VP.
Acre-weighted races (Board)
| Race | Winner | Winner acres | Total race weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | DOBSON, CHRISTOPHER J. | 5,441.55 | 9,460.55 |
| President (runner-up) | KENNEDY, SANDRA | 4,019.00 | |
| Vice President | PACELEY, BARRY E. | 4,567.88 | 9,428.11 |
| VP (runner-up) | CLOWES, CASEY | 3,550.81 | |
| VP (3rd) | WOODS, KEITH | 1,309.42 |
Per-person races (Council) - SRP already runs these
| Race | Winner | Winner ballots | Total ballots |
|---|---|---|---|
| At-Large Seat #12 | O'BRIEN, KRISTA H. | 23,496 | 35,747 |
| Seat #12 (runner-up) | KENNEDY, RUSTY | 12,251 | |
| At-Large Seat #14 | MOHR-ALMEIDA, KATHY L. | 23,165 | 35,746 |
| Seat #14 (runner-up) | COOPER, KELLY | 12,581 |
Voter turnout among the 666,183 eligible landowners on file. The per-person Council seats counted 35,747 ballots. The acre-weighted Pres/VP races counted under 9,500 acre-votes. SRP runs both systems side by side. The reform is to extend the per-person side to Pres/VP and the District Board.
The system is biased twice over. The rules give big landowners more weight per ballot. And big landowners return ballots at far higher rates than ordinary homeowners. Both effects compound. Here is the actual return rate by acre-bucket from the 2026 election.
| Voter class | Voters | Ballots returned | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10+ acre mega-holders | 73 | 38 | 52.1% |
| 5-10 acres | 119 | 51 | 42.9% |
| 2-5 acres | 853 | 214 | 25.1% |
| 1-2 acres | 4,179 | 907 | 21.7% |
| 0.5-1 acre | 10,134 | 1,889 | 18.6% |
| 0.25-0.5 acre | 38,212 | 4,655 | 12.2% |
| Under 0.25 acre (typical homeowners) | 612,595 | 36,156 | 5.9% |
Of the acre-vote weight returned in this election, 47% came from the top 10% of returners. Just 4,391 people cast nearly half of the votes that decided SRP's 2026 leadership. The top 1% (439 people) cast 20%.
Names redacted. The top 10 records by acre-weight. Each one outvotes hundreds of neighbors before counting begins.
acre-votes held by one extended family in District 5. That total outweighs 666,165 of their fellow Arizonans. One family. One district.
Each of SRP's 10 districts elects one board seat. They are unequal by 2× or more. The U.S. Supreme Court banned this for legislative districts in 1964. Arizona courts give SRP a pass as a "special district."
| District | Voters | Acre-votes | vs. smallest |
|---|---|---|---|
| District 3 (Tempe area) | 42,862 | 5,131 | 1.00× baseline |
| District 4 | 51,447 | 6,726 | 1.20× |
| District 2 | 60,964 | 7,326 | 1.42× |
| District 7 | 63,740 | 7,519 | 1.49× |
| District 6 | 64,261 | 9,471 | 1.50× |
| District 5 | 67,650 | 12,124 | 1.58× |
| District 1 | 69,174 | 9,536 | 1.61× |
| District 10 | 71,805 | 11,740 | 1.68× |
| District 9 | 83,121 | 11,999 | 1.94× |
| District 8 (Mesa/Gilbert) | 91,159 | 13,515 | 2.13× |
A District 3 voter has double the board representation of a District 8 voter. Same election. Same kind of seat.
In a one-person-one-vote system, you need 50% of voters to control 50% of the vote. At SRP, 22% wins the acre-weighted races: President, Vice President, and all 10 District Boards. (At-Large Council Seats #12 and #14 already use one person, one vote.)
SRP wrote these rules in 1903 for a co-op of 200 farmers. The math fit then. It does not fit a utility that powers Intel, TSMC, ASU, and Sky Harbor.
The SRP board can fix half of this on its own. The other half needs Arizona voters to act.
D8 has 91,159 voters. D3 has 42,862. Both elect one board seat. Equalize them. The SRP board can do this without legislation.
A 67-acre vote was rounding error in 1903. In 2026 it picks the board. Cap any single parcel at one vote.
Modeled on Arizona's AIRC. Take map-drawing out of incumbent hands. The SRP board can establish this by resolution.
SRP already uses one person, one vote for At-Large Council Seats #12 and #14. Those races counted 35,747 ballots. The President and VP races, still acre-weighted, counted under 9,500 acre-votes. Apply the same per-person rule to Pres/VP. Keep acreage on district board seats only, after equalization.
About 60% of SRP customers rent. They pay every bill. They get zero vote. End the property-only franchise. If you pay SRP, you vote SRP.
Arizona's "agricultural improvement district" statute was written for 200-farmer co-ops, not multi-billion-dollar utilities. Modernize it.