Santa Maria Sun / News

Election Day is coming

BY KRISTINA SEWELL

Novembers often represent a time when U.S. citizens particularly enjoy their freedom to exercise their vote, to take a stand and have a say in what happens in their homeland.

That time of year is quickly approaching; November is just around the corner, really, and the Santa Maria City Clerk’s office is busily preparing for the upcoming General Municipal Election.

Scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 6, the election will appoint one mayor, two City Council members, a city treasurer, and one city clerk.

People interested in running for office need to follow a few steps. First, you must be at least 18 years old and a registered voter of the city of Santa Maria. In addition, interested candidates must be nominated by 20 registered Santa Maria voters.

According to the City Clerk’s office, the nomination period for the office opened July 16 and will end Aug. 10. Should an incumbent choose not to run for re-election, the nomination period will be extended until Aug. 15.

For the duration of the period, candidate nomination information will be available at the City Clerk’s office; there’s no fee to run for office.

Nomination papers are provided to candidates and include space for 30 signatures. The City Clerk’s office recommends that candidates try to obtain more than that many signatures in the event that someone who signs isn’t a registered voter.

The Candidate Election Guide provided by the city states that candidates can expect to endure an orientation on campaign procedures and recommends that before any campaign fundraising takes place, the candidate’s committee treasurers should familiarize themselves with campaign finance.

Residents who aren’t registered to vote can easily become so. Registration papers are available at City Hall, the Santa Maria Public Library, and the County Elections office. Residents must be registered to vote in this election before Oct. 22, 2012.

Closer to the election will come candidate forums, at which citizens can learn about the candidates and their positions on various issues affecting the Santa Maria Valley.

For more information on the elections and running for office, visit the city website at ci.santa-maria.ca.us/Elections.shtml.