SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Tuesday is the final day to vote in the special election to fill the vacant seat in San Diego County's Fourth Supervisorial District, an election that could turn the tide in county policy for years to come.
Four candidates are running for the position vacated by former Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, who stepped down following what he describes as an "inappropriate relationship" with a subordinate. The woman has alleged sexual assault and harassment, but Fletcher has denied those claims.
The candidates in the officially nonpartisan election are:
-- Democrat Monica Montgomery Steppe, attorney and San Diego City Council president pro tem
-- Democrat Janessa Goldbeck, Marine veteran and nonprofit organizer
-- Republican Amy Reichert, founder of Reopen San Diego
-- Republican Paul McQuigg, Marine veteran and U.S. Census Bureau employee
The successful candidate will fill the seat for the remainder of the current term, which ends in January 2027.
If no candidate receives a majority vote, there will be a special general election on Nov. 7.
Currently on the County Board of Supervisors, two Democrats -- Nora Vargas and Terra Lawson-Remer -- and two Republicans -- Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond -- often deadlock on politicized issues. The new supervisor would tip the board either more progressive or more conservative, depending on the results.
Fletcher, who sought treatment out of state for alcohol abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder, resigned from his seat on the board effective May 15.
He announced his resignation March 29 after admitting to what he called affair with former Metropolitan Transit System employee Grecia Figueroa, who is suing him.
Fourteen vote centers will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Residents can find a vote center by visiting sdvote.com/content/rov/en/VotingOptions.html#votecenter. Any voter who is in line at a vote center or an official ballot drop box location at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. However, no one can join the line after the 8 p.m. deadline.
Vote centers have replaced polling places, allowing people to vote in person or drop off a mail-in ballot, vote using an accessible ballot marking device, receive assistance and voting materials in multiple languages, and register to vote or update voter registration and vote on the same day.
Voters will use a touch screen to make their selections on ballot marking devices. When finished, the voter will print out the official ballot, review it and hand it to a poll worker to insert it in the ballot box to be counted at the registrar's office. The ballot marking device does not store, tabulate or count any votes, a county statement reads.
District 4 is the smallest geographically of the county's five districts, consisting of central San Diego, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, as far north as Clairemont Mesa and portions of Kearny Mesa, as far south as Paradise Valley, as far east as south El Cajon and west as far as Mission Hills.
San Diego County residents who are unsure if they reside in the Fourth District can find out at sdvote.com/content/rov/en/voter-info-lookup.html.
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