Riverbank elections officials have announced the opening of the nomination period for this fall’s General Election, where two city council member posts and that of the mayor will be up for election.
City Clerk Annabelle Aguilar, who also serves as the Elections Official, said the official nomination period began Monday, July 13 and continues until Aug. 7.
In addition to the mayor’s seat, both District 2 and District 4 slots on the council are up for election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Council members Darlene Barber-Martinez, who represents District 4, and Cindy Fosi, of District 2, are both facing reelection this year, as is Mayor Richard D. O’Brien.
All three have indicated they will seek reelection this year.
The terms of Vice Mayor Luis Uribe, District 1, and council member Cal Campbell, District 3, continue until 2022, according to the city website.
Aguilar said if, for some reason, incumbents of any one of the seats up for election does not file completed nomination papers by the deadline, the close of business on Friday, Aug. 7, there are provisions for others to file.
Registered voters who then wish to run can submit papers for one of the seats before the extension ends. Rules provide for an additional five days, which closes at the end of the day on Wednesday, Aug. 12, she said. Aguilar added that incumbents won’t be eligible to file during that time.
Any Riverbank registered voter who desires to have his/her name written on the ballot of the election counted for the office of Council member must complete the required process with the City’s Election Official.
Aguilar also noted that the deadline to register for the November election is Monday, Oct. 19. She said that after this date, potential voters may “conditionally register” in-person at the Riverbank Elections Satellite Office, or at the county Registrar of Voters Office up until the end of Election Day.
This year polling places will be different than in the past, Aguilar noted.
The typical neighborhood voting sites throughout the city will be replaced with a single ‘satellite’ office, where in-person voting will be conducted, but other services also will be offered there, she said. It will be the only in-person polling location in town, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said the state has mandated the mailing of Vote-by-Mail ballots to all eligible registered voters in California.
Aguilar also said the city is considering offering a drive-up ballot drop-off, “to provide additional ways for voters to cast their ballots in a secure and safe manner.”
Election Day hours will be from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Aguilar also noted that candidates may begin posting campaign signs 90 days before Election Day. They must be removed 15 days after the election (City removal is at a cost), she said.
