SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — In-person voting has officially begun for residents to make their pick in filling the vacant District 1 County Supervisor seat.
The District 1 seat has been vacant for the past few months since Nora Vargas stepped down.
District 1 represents the South Bay communities, and residents have until Tuesday, April 8th to vote for who they want to fill the vacant Board of Supervisor seat.
On Saturday, seven voting centers opened across the district.
Cynthia Paes, Registrar of Voters, said while low voter turnout is typically expected in special elections, the number kicking off District 1's election is fairly comparable in numbers to the last special election in 2023, when District 4 was voting to fill its vacant seat at the time.
"As of yesterday, with mail ballot returns, so far in this election, we're at 8% of registered voters," Paes said. "For the August 2023 election, we were at a 12% of registered voters turnout."
Paes said voter turnout will pick up as the day continues to count down to April 8th.
There are high stakes involved when it comes to this special election.
Vargas had served the South Bay communities since 2020 and seven candidates are now vying for the position:
- Carolina Chavez
- Elizabeth Efird
- John McCann
- Lincoln Pickenel
- Louis Fuentes
- Paloma Aguirre
- Vivan Moreno
The race carries significant political implications. The County Board is currently split between two Republicans and two Democrats. The winner would give their party control of the Board.
To win outright, a candidate must secure more than 50 percent of votes by April 8th.
If no candidate achieves a landslide, the two top candidates with the most votes will advance to a special general election in July.
"If you reside in District 1 and you are not registered to vote, it is not too late to participate," Paes emphasized. "You can visit any vote center and conditionally register and vote provisionally."
Volunteers at the voting centers said that bilingual personnel will help with in-person voting for Spanish-speaking voters.
To find the nearest voting center and hours in District 1, click here.
