{"id":9179,"date":"2022-12-05T09:58:38","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T16:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/?p=9179"},"modified":"2023-02-24T16:24:10","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T23:24:10","slug":"is-gilbert-arizona-a-liberal-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/is-gilbert-arizona-a-liberal-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Gilbert, Arizona a Liberal City?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In the southernmost part of Arizona, Gilbert is a city that is growing rapidly without remorse. With families from California and Utah making the move to the desert, it is important to know the political background of the possible city of your dreams. So, is Gilbert, Arizona a liberal city?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gilbert, Arizona is not a liberal city. It is listed as the 9th best city for conservative families and has voted Republican in the most recent elections. Gilbert is a gun-friendly town and has a high population of Latter-Day Saints and Christians. However, abortion remains legal in Arizona.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand the political complexities of Gilbert and what kind of people you will encounter, keep reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Gilbert, Arizona’s Voting History?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Maricopa County\"Opens<\/a>, where Gilbert resides, is leaning liberal with 50.1% of residents voting Democratic and 48% voting Republican in the 2020 presidential election. However, Maricopa County has been Republican for the previous 5 presidential elections and has strong Republican leaders such as Doug Ducey, the current governor, Mark Brnovich, the current attorney general, and Kimberly Yee, the current treasurer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gilbert, Arizona has more Republican voters\"Opens<\/a> in the city. In April 2022, 34.47% voted Republican. This was a slight advantage to Democratic voters, who contributed to 31.09% of the ballots. There was a surprisingly strong ballot count of those who were considered as “other” at 33.63%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, in the state of Arizona in October 2021, 912,152 voters were Republican and 818,465 were Democratic. There were also 896,975 who voted as “other”. These statistics\"Opens<\/a> show that while republicans are the slight majority, there is a collection of Democratic individuals and nonpartisan representatives. The nonpartisan representatives and sometimes the Democratic voters could potentially vote Republican at some point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current mayor of Gilbert is Brigette Peterson. She is nonpartisan, which means she has no specific affiliation with a political party. She was elected\"Opens<\/a> in 2021 and her term ends in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Political Issues are Prevalent in Gilbert?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The hot-button topics\"Opens<\/a> for Gilbert residents include gun control, abortion, affordable housing, and water supply. Gilbert’s city council is highly efficient, very involved in the community, and takes residential concerns quite seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gun Control<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Arizona, the minimum age to purchase a firearm\"Opens<\/a> is 18 years old unless the individual is occupied by a parent, guardian, or safety instructor. Anyone under 21 years old cannot purchase a handgun. Anyone between the ages of 14 to 17 that are using firearms for lawful recreation such as hunting or agriculture may get an exception. Gun dealers are not required to obtain a state license, there are no required records of gun sales or background checks, and gun shows are highly unregulated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arizona is one of the few states that have few gun regulations. Arizona also has a high firearm death rate, especially among couples. 1,155 people die in Arizona from gun violence\"Opens<\/a> yearly, and it is ranked 43 out of 50 when it comes to gun law strength in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gilbert residents over 21 are free to purchase, own, and carry a gun. In 2006, Gilbert required public establishments to offer gun lockers to individuals who hold a gun but do not have a permit. In 2014, the Gilbert Council voted that gun permit holders are allowed to carry concealed firearms\"Opens<\/a> into public buildings, whereas firearms were illegal in all public buildings before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I lived in Gilbert, I noticed that there was a strong gun culture. There is a lot of recreational shooting but not very much hunting done due to the desert landscape and lack of wild game. Like most western states, a lot of people are open about their guns and their opinions about guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people may not think these laws make the city safe, but the crime rate is quite low\"Opens<\/a>. On a scale of 1-100, Gilbert scores 10.4 compared to the national average of 22.7 for violent crime. For property crime, the city scores 23.1, which is again lower than the national average, which is 35.4. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abortion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Roe vs Wade<\/em> being overturned on June 24, 2022, abortion has been quite a controversial topic. With “red” being Republican and “blue” being Democratic, and unlike several western states, Arizona is a “swing state”. This means that the state is more likely to switch between being a “blue” or a “red” state. In the 2020 election, Arizona was a “blue” state, while in the 2016 election, it was a “red” state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abortion was a constitutional right since 1973, and on June 28, 2022, new laws\"Opens<\/a> were set in place by the state of Arizona:<\/p>\n\n\n\n