The campaign season for Santa Barbara County races in the Nov. 3 general election has officially started, but candidates can still jump into local races until early August.
The candidate filing period for people running for office runs through Aug. 7, unless it’s extended, according to the county Elections Office.
If an incumbent does not file in a given race, the deadline is extended to Aug. 12.
The county elections division has implemented a modified candidate filing process for the November election to provide limited contact options due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The county launched a new online candidate filing application and filing portal that will allow prospective special district and school district candidates to apply to file, and be issued their candidate filing forms, electronically from home, according to the Elections Office.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom in May ordered ballots be mailed to the state’s voters before the Nov. 3 general election in addition to offering in-person voting locations in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
All registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail, county Clerk- Recorder-Assessor-Registrar of Voters Joe Holland said.
Ballots for the general election will be mailed out on Oct. 5 in the county.
The upcoming balloting will be different compared to previous elections, Holland said.
The county had 86 polling places open for the March 3 election, Holland said.
In November, the county hopes to have 25 in-person voting locations open from Oct. 31 through Nov. 3, Holland said.
Registered voters in the cities of Carpinteria, Goleta, Santa Maria, Solvang, Lompoc, Guadalupe and Buellton will be voting for some of their governing officials this fall. The city of Santa Barbara holds odd-year City Council and mayoral elections.
At the local level, the general election ballot will include the mayor’s seat and City Council seats, plus measures special district and school board seats in some cities.
Scroll down to view a candidate list for November races from the county Elections Office.
Residents also will vote for the president of the United States, as well as federal and state representatives after candidates secured the top two places in the March primary.
For California primary elections, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, face off in the November general election.
Carpinteria has two City Council seats up for grabs as part of the November general election.
The seats of Carpinteria Mayor Wade Nomura and City Councilman Fred Shaw are up for election.
Carpinteria will move to district-based City Council elections by 2022.
Two council seats and the mayor’s position will appear on the ballot in Goleta.
Incumbent Mayor Paula Perotte and challenger Councilman Roger Aceves will face off in the mayoral race in November.
Councilmen Stuart Kasdin and Kyle Richards are seeking re-election.
Goleta decided to move to district elections for its City Council members by 2022.
A measure on the November ballot will ask city voters to consider extending the mayor’s term from two years to four years in Goleta.
The Santa Maria mayoral seat held by Alice Patino is up for election, along with the City Council seats held by Mike Cordero and Michael Moats.
Cordero and Moats were elected by the city’s final at-large voting in 2016.
In Santa Maria, the council has switched from at-large elections to district-based voting, meaning four of the City Council members are elected by voters in a section of the city, while the mayor continues to be elected by all voters.
Two Solvang City Council seats are up for grabs this year, those currently held by Daniel Johnson and Karen Waite. In addition, the City Council seat held by Mayor Ryan Toussaint is up for election.
In Lompoc, Mayor Jenelle Osborne and the seats held by District 1 Councilwoman Gilda Cordova and District 4 Councilman Jim Mosby are up for election.
Click here to view Lompoc’s City Council districts.
Guadalupe Mayor Ariston Julian, as well as Councilwoman Gina Rubalcaba and City Clerk Joice Earleen Raguz, are completing terms, so those seats are up for election this year.
Guadalupe is placing a 1% sales tax measure before city voters.
In Buellton, the mayor and two City Council seats are on the ballot in the November general election. The terms will expire for Buellton City Council members John Sanchez and Art Mercado, as well as Mayor Holly Sierra.
Residents must register online by Oct. 20 to vote in the Nov. 3 general election.
Click here to register through the Secretary of State’s website.
People also can find more information about registering to vote on the Santa Barbara County Election’s Office site.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.