SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Monday marks the start of early voting for the District 1 County Board of Supervisors special election. Registered voters in the district started receiving their ballots on March 10. Now with the election just under a month away, here's what you need to know for the April 8 primary.
March 10:
- Early voting begins. You can vote by mail or in person at the County Registrar of Voters only.
March 11:
- Drop boxes become available around District 1. You can find the list of drop box locations here.
March 29:
- Seven voting centers open across District 1 for early in-person voting.
April 8:
- Final Day of voting. An additional six voting centers open.
There are seven candidates on the ballot. Four of the candidates include acting politicians around the county: Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre, Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, Chula Vista Deputy Mayor Carolina Chavez and San Diego City Councilmember Vivian Moreno.
The other three candidates include former Imperial County Board of Supervisor Chair Louis Fuentes, affordable energy consultant Elizabeth Efird and longtime South Bay resident Lincoln Pickard.
If none of the candidates receive more than 50% of the vote during the primary election on April 8, the two candidates with the most votes will head to a special run-off election on July 1.
The special election comes after former Board of Supervisor Chair and District 1 representative Nora Vargas decided to step down and not serve a second term. Her resignation came just after winning reelection by more than 24 percentage points.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors is technically a nonpartisan body. However, with Vargas' departure, the balance of power is up for grabs. The body is currently split with two Democrats, Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe, and two Republicans, Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond.
This is the second special election for the County Board of Supervisors in less than two years.
In 2023, supervisors approved a special election to replace District 4's Nathan Fletcher, who resigned in May of that year due to sexual harassment allegations that he has denied.
The election is estimated to cost between $2 million and $6.6 million, according to the county.
For more information on voting in the special election, follow this link.
