Most everyone knows by now that 2016 is an election year with the office of President of the United States up for grabs come November.

But also notable for Fountain Hills residents is that this is a busy election year with four separate election dates over the next 10 months.

Of course there is the November General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Along with the federal races for president, Senate and House of Representatives, the ballot will also include an array of state, county and local decisions.

In Fountain Hills, if necessary, that ballot will be used for a Town Council runoff.

The council primary is set for Tuesday, Aug. 30, with the office of Mayor and three council seats to be decided. Late August may seem like a long way off, but anyone with an interest in running can already get the ball rolling by forming a campaign committee or declaring to the $500 maximum expenditure limit.

After that, candidates can begin collecting petition signatures to get their name on the ballot.

Those petitions may not be turned in before Monday, May 2, but must be submitted by the deadline of 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 1.

Potential candidates may contact Town Clerk Bev Bender with any questions or additional information.

Already it appears there may be three potential candidates for mayor including incumbent Linda Kavanagh.

Others exploring the race for mayor are former Councilman Dennis Contino and Jonathan Davies.

Four people appear poised to make a run for the three council seats, including incumbents Dennis Brown and Cecil Yates.

Tim Rawlings and Art Tolis are also taking the steps to run.

The Fountain Hills School District will also be holding a board election on the November ballot. There are two seats on the board that will be expiring.

The first election to come along will be the Presidential Preference Election on Tuesday, March 22.

Voters need to know that this is a party-based election and only open to those registered with a recognized party; Democrat, Green, Libertarian or Republican. This election provides no provision for those not affiliated with a party to cast a ballot.

On Tuesday, May 17, there will be a statewide special election with a proposition on the ballot.

Proposition 123 deals with education funding in the state. It is the proposal by Governor Doug Ducey to restructure funding allocated from the State Land Trust.

The proposal would provide $3.5 billion over 10 years.

The Times will be working to keep residents up to date on all of the elections as the year progresses.