With the registration deadline past for the general election, final voter rolls in Santa Barbara County are set.
According to the county elections office, there are 222,923 registered voters in county, which has a population approaching 450,000.
Of those registered, 96,591 (42.8 percent) are Democrats, 61,711 (27.6 percent) are Republicans, and 54,015 (24.2 percent) are unaffiliated with a political party.
Over 55,000 vote-by-mail ballots had been received by the county as of Monday, said Joe Holland, the county clerk, recorder, assessor and registrar of voters.
Since Jan. 7, according to Holland, the number of registered voters in the county jumped by 31,493. Over half of those new registrations have occurred since Sept. 9.
And of those 31,493, roughly two-thirds registered Democratic while about 18 percent registered Republican.
Voters in Santa Barbara County will be joined by those in San Luis Obispo and northern Ventura counties in electing either Democratic county Supervisor Salud Carbajal or Republican businessman Justin Fareed to represent California’s 24th Congressional District.
They will also join most Ventura County voters in the race for the state Senate’s 19th district, being contested by incumbent Hannah-Beth Jackson and Colin Walch of Lompoc.
Based on up-to-date county data, below is a breakdown of voter registration and party affiliation for local races:
35th Assembly District
On the state Legislature level, the traditionally more-conservative 35th Assembly District covers San Luis Obispo County, Santa Maria, Lompoc and Guadalupe.
Over 81,000 county residents, including just about equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans, can vote in the race between small-business owner Dawn Ortiz-Legg and attorney Jordan Cunningham.
37th Assembly District
The 37th District is traditionally more liberal than the 35th, and covers Santa Barbara County’s South Coast and most of Ventura County.
Nearly 142,000 registered county residents can help elect either school board member Monique Limón or Goleta planning commissioner Edward Fuller.
By over a 2-1 ratio, the nearly 67,000 Democrats outnumber Republicans in the county’s portion of the legislative district.
Unaffiliated voters also outnumber Republicans in the county’s part of this district.
3rd District Supervisor
The county’s Third District is the largest by area and the most politically diverse.
At 51,534 voters, it has the second most behind the Second District.
Choosing between former planning commissioner Joan Hartmann and school board member Bruce Porter will be 21,542 Democrats (41.8 percent), 13,135 Republicans (25.4 percent) and 14,548 (28.2 percent) unaffiliated voters from Buellton, Solvang, Santa Ynez, Guadalupe, Isla Vista, part of Goleta and much of the unincorporated county.
Most potential voters in the Third District’s unincorporated area come from the left-leaning Isla Vista/UC Santa Barbara bloc.
A Noozhawk analysis of June’s primary election revealed that the bloc could play a crucial role in this race. Hartmann handily won the vote in that area in June.
As of Oct. 31, the area has 19,682 voters, 9,982 of whom are registered Democrats, 1,470 Republicans and 7,484 are unaffiliated.
According to UCSB’s Daily Nexus, local voter-registration drives, led by the local Democratic Party and the Yes on Measures E and F campaign, reported registering a record 13,000 UCSB/Isla Vista voters for the Nov. 8 election.
Though June’s primary election already featured nearly 16,000 registered voters in that area, student turnover tends to account for many new registrations.
Santa Maria Mayor and City Council
There are 33,038 registered voters in Santa Maria, including 14,062 Democrats, 9,893 Republicans and 7,700 unaffiliated voters.
Mayor Alice Patino, who has held the post for four years, is being challenged by former Santa Maria–Bonita School District board member Will Smith.
Six candidates, including one-term incumbent Terri Zuniga, are running for the two seats currently held by Zuniga and retiring Councilman Bob Orach on the Santa Maria City Council.
Joining her on the ballot will be candidates Michael Cordero, Hector Sanchez, Michael Moats, John P. Childers Jr. and Ed Hernandez.
Goleta City Council
Of Goleta’s 17,803 registered voters, 8,247 are Democrats, 4,376 are Republicans and 4,352 are unaffiliated.
In Goleta, it’s a contested race this year as five candidates are running for two seats. Mayor Pro Tempore Tony Vallejo, who was appointed to the council two years ago, is running for re-election and Mayor Jim Farr has decided not to run again.
Challenging Vallejo are city Parks and Recreation commissioner Kyle Richards, former White House Office of Management and Budget official Stuart Kasdin, Design Review Board member Aaron Swaney and Dave Haws.
Goletans will also be deciding whether to elect for their mayor separately, rather than continue rotating the position among the council members.
Lompoc Mayor and City Council
There are 673 fewer registered voters in Lompoc than Goleta, though the political divide is more even: 6,817 are Democrats, 5,325 are Republicans and 4,076 have no party preference.
Bob Lingl and John Linn, the current mayor and a former mayor, respectively, of Lompoc, are facing off for that city’s top spot.
Seeking two council seats in Lompoc are incumbent DeWayne Holmdahl, appointed incumbent Jim Mosby and challenger Jenelle Osborne.
Buellton Mayor and City Council
Unlike most places in the county, Republicans outnumber Democrats in Buellton 1,133 to 955. Another 626 of the 2,854 registered voters are not politically affiliated.
For the first time, Buellton residents will be electing their mayor directly.
Currently, the now-two-year post is held by Ed Andrisek, and running to replace him are retired California Highway Patrol officer Dave King and Councilwoman Holly Sierra, who has served on the council for eight years.
The one open, four-year council seat is being contested by Councilman Leo Elovitz, who was originally appointed to the council before being elected for the first time in 2012; Foster Reif, a city planning commissioner; and Marcilo Sarquilla, a systems analyst.
Guadalupe Mayor and City Council
Guadalupe’s political tilt is considerably one-sided. Of 2,375 registered voters, 1,395 registered with the Democratic Party and 349 with the Republican Party. Another 535 are unaffiliated.
Mayor John Lizalde, currently in his second term, is running unopposed for the top elected position in the city.
Two council seats are up for election and the three candidates include college counselor Antonio Ramirez, sales manager Martin Murguia, and Councilwoman Gina Rubalcaba, who is running for re-election.
Carpinteria City Council
Of Carpinteria’s 7,204 registered voters, 3,460 are Democrats, 1,674 are Republicans and 1,716 are unaffiliated.
At least one incumbent will stay in office in Carpinteria, where three men are running for two seats. The candidates include Vice Mayor Fred Shaw, Councilman Wade Nomura and retired lifelong resident Bob Franco.
Solvang Mayor and City Council
In Solvang, 1,062 of the 3,442 registered voters are Democrats, while 1,489 are Republicans and 733 are unaffiliated.
Another mayor is running unopposed in this city: Jim Richardson, who has been mayor since 2008 and was a councilman from 2005 to 2007.
Two four-year council seats are on the ballot, with four candidates running.
Hans Duus, the mayor pro tempore who was first elected in 2009, is running for another term while Edwin Skytt, who was appointed to a vacancy, decided not to run.
Other candidates in the race include securities compliance analyst Karen Waite, planning manager Brian Baca and technology business owner Ryan Toussaint.
Santa Barbara
No local seats are up for election in Santa Barbara, but up to 50,498 of the county’s ballots could be cast by the city’s residents.
Registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans there by almost three to one. Over 12,000 registered Santa Barbarans are unaffiliated.
For information on voting, contact the elections office at 1.800.SBC.VOTE or visit the registrar of voters’ website at www.sbcvote.com.
Tuesday is the last day residents can request a vote-by-mail ballot through the mail.
From Wednesday through Election Day, emergency vote-by-mail ballots can be picked up at county election offices, at 4440-A Calle Real in Santa Barbara; at 401 E. Cypress Ave., Room 102 in Lompoc; and at 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Suite 134 in Santa Maria.
According to the election office, vote-by-mail ballots must be received by any of those offices by 8 p.m. on Nov. 8, or be postmarked on or before Nov. 8 and received by Nov. 14.
Last month, Renee Bischoff, chief deputy registrar of voters, told Noozhawk that county officials expect voter turnout this year to fall between 81 and 83 percent.
Some 80.9 percent of eligible voters in Santa Barbara County cast a ballot in the 2012 presidential general election, following 86.4 percent in 2008.
— Noozhawk staff writer Sam Goldman can be reached at sgoldman@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.