Primary Election Day in Santa Cruz on June 2. (Amaya Edwards— Santa Cruz Local/CatchLight Local)

SANTA CRUZ >>  More than 100 elected positions to represent Santa Cruz residents are up for grabs in the Nov. 3 general election. 

Prospective candidates can file to run starting July 13. Filing ends Aug. 7, or Aug. 12 if the incumbent does not seek re-election. 

What’s on the ballot

The November ballot will vary significantly across the county, in keeping with the overlapping patchworks of school districts, cities and special districts. To see which races you’ll vote in, or where you may be eligible to run, look up the address of your voter registration on the county’s interactive map, then check the tabs on the bottom for which jurisdictions it falls in. 

• The positions have four-year terms. Some seats up for election would serve a partial term if a prior representative left prematurely. 
• Most positions do not have term limits. 
• Candidates must be registered to vote in California, and most must live in the area they will represent. Some positions have other requirements.

How to run:

Forms needed for nomination are available on the county elections website. A candidate manual has more details about the candidacy and election process. 

For questions, contact:

• Scotts Valley City Clerk Cathie Simonovich at [email protected] or (831) 440-5600.
• Capitola City Clerk Julia Gautho at [email protected] or (831) 475-7300 ext. 228
• Watsonville City Clerk Irwin I. Ortiz at [email protected] or (831)768-3040.
• Santa Cruz County Clerk Tricia Webber at [email protected] or (831) 454-2060.
• Candidate Services Manager Stanley Avila at [email protected] or (831) 454-2423.

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