the future of the Arizona Coyots
now in the hands of Tempe voter,
voters are deciding whether or t
they want a $2.1 billion entertainment
district that will be the new
home of the Valleys hockey team.
Good evening and thanks so much
for joining us for 12 News at s.
I'm cutting the divine. I'm
Mark Curtis. We have team covere
bringing you the latest on this major vote.
Bram Resnick is breaking down
the impact of today's decision
on the Valley moving forward.
But let's begin with Team 12's chase.
Go lightly.
He's live at the Tempe History Museum,
where the polls close in about an hour chase.
Yeah, Mark Rebey. The big rush s
happening right now with those voters
trying to get their voices heard ahead
of tonight with only an hour le.
But it really has been busy all.
We've seen hundreds of people gr
right here to either vote in pen
or to drop off those ballots.
Now, despite with how many
people are showing up,
the voters we spoke with say
the process has been smooth.
No long lines to vote in persond
certainly no line to drop off te
ballots here today.
Now there are three propositions people
are voting on in order for the e
Entertainment District to happe.
Each one needs to be approved,
otherwise the Coyotes will haveo
find another city to call home.
Here's what some voters had to y
about this massive project.
There are certainly concerns wih
the FAA and city of Phoenix have
some concerns with the flight
path and so it's going to bring
in money to into the economy.
So I think it's good for Tempe.
I think it's good for jobs.
I probably never go there and I
don't really want my tax dollars
going that direction.
Goyo, it's keep Hawking the des.
Now, before today, the Maricopa
County Elections Department repd
30,000 ballots were already turned in.
We're told initial results of
this election will happen will e
released tonight at 8:00 o'cloc.
And unless this vote is very cl,
we should have a good idea if
this entertainment district
is going to happen or not.
And if you are going to come out here,
you might want to bring the umbrella.
The rain has just started to come down.
It is a little windy, but again,
you have just less than an hour to turn
in those ballots or vote in per.
For now, we're live in Tempe.
Chase Kolitely, 12 News.
All
right, Chase, thanks so much.
It is time now to bring in Bram Bresnick.
He's been covering the Arizona
Coyotes saga in the Valley off d
on for more than 20 years now.
Now, Bram, what's at stake in
this vote for Tempe residents
and also the Arizona Coyotes.
Now Cree Bay Tempe
residents are being pitched the what's
called the best deal at no cost to them,
no use of tax dollars for a signature
project on the last piece of land that can
be developed in their landlocked city.
The city's agreement is
loaded with safeguards,
but every deal carries some ris.
The Arizona Coyotes are relyingn
hundreds of millions of dollars in future
tax revenues to finance this project.
There's no guarantee it will be built
out over the next 10 years as planned.
And the new arena's main 10
tenant remains the least popular
pro sports team in the Valley.
For the Coyotes,
a yes vote would build the arena
that keeps them in the Valley.
A no vote could finally send
them packing out of state,
unless another Valley City wante
deal that Tempe voters turned d.
And Bram. We know that folks are
usually pretty passionate when t
comes to sports teams and arena.
What's What do we know about voter turnout?
Yeah, this is a really
interesting part of the story.
Turnout is on track to set a Tee
record that tells us voters are
very passionate about this issu.
But what does that tell us
about the election results?
There are mixed messages here.
According to an independent anas
of the early ballot returns,
more than half the ballots are
coming from areas of Tempe
that are home to higher income,
well educated voters with famil.
That could be good news for the yes side.
On the other hand,
more than 40% of the voters arer
the age of 65 and 70% of cast ballots
in the last three Tempe electio.
These are voters who pay attentn
and might be a tough sell.
All
right, Bram, Well,
when you break all of this down,
it's all about building that
new hockey arena for the
Coyotes in the East Valley.
So why does the geography
matter so much and who's
really pushing this deal?
Yeah, this is so important.
This proposed Tempe arena is
supposed to make everything rig.
In the hockey universe,
it's widely agreed that a
hockey arena should never have
been built in the West Valley.
The Arizona Coyotes natural fan
base was in the East Valley,
and many of those fans weren't g
to make the drive to Glendale.
After years of losing a lot of y
and a lot of games in Glendale,
the belief is the Coyotes will
turn things around with a brandw
Tempe arena closer to the fans.
No one believes that more than
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman,
who's clung to his conviction tt
the NHL can succeed in the dese.
So whether Tempe voters know it or not,
the election results tonight are also
a vote on what Gary Bettman wan.
Let's send it back to you.
All
right, Just a few hours away
from knowing more. All right.
Thanks so much, Bran.