Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is trailing his opponent in the race for mayor of Fountain Hills.

The former six-term sheriff said late Tuesday night that the vote totals so far came from early ballots and that he was awaiting the totals of in-person voting in his bid to unseat two-term Mayor Ginny Dickey.

The stakes for Arpaio in Tuesday’s election are far smaller than when he served as the top law enforcement officer for 4 million people as sheriff.

Now he is seeking the top leadership post in a community of about 24,000 on the edge of metro Phoenix.

“My secret weapon has always been: Get to the people,” Arpaio said. “You sure need that to get elected in a small town.”