Seaside council calls Nov. 3, 2026 general municipal election, asks Monterey County to administer and consolidate vote
May 27, 2026 | Seaside, Monterey County, California
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Seaside's City Council adopted a resolution on May 26 formally calling a general municipal election for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, and requesting that the Monterey County Elections Department administer and consolidate the city's contests with the statewide general election.
City Clerk Dominique Davis told the council the resolution is a routine but necessary step that places one mayoral seat and two city council seats on the November ballot, opens the candidate filing window and authorizes coordination of ballot materials and district boundaries with the county. She said the candidate statement word limit will be 200 words and that candidates will be responsible for the cost of optional statements in the voter guide.
Davis said the county has identified a July 1 deadline for the statement of election facts and boundary materials and staff expects the candidate filing period to begin on July 13 and run through Aug. 7; if an incumbent fails to file, a five-calendar-day extension applies to that office. The county will conduct the official canvas and certify results, after which the city will receive and declare results at a future council meeting.
The presentation included Monterey County's current cost estimate range of roughly $6 to $10 per registered voter; with Seaside's 15,249 registered voters as of May 15, staff estimated the city's share could range from about $91,494 to $152,490 depending largely on ballot printing and voter guide costs. The council did not adopt a firm contract amount Friday; finance and clerk staff said the county will invoice the city after the election.
Davis also noted the resolution specifies a lawful tie-breaking method by lot pursuant to state law (Elections Code procedure identified in the staff report) and reiterated that the resolution calls the election and requests consolidation only; it does not select candidates or determine outcomes.
After brief council questions about the cost drivers and voter counts, a councilmember moved and seconded the staff recommendation. The motion carried unanimously; the transcript records the result as "motion carried unanimously" but does not list a roll-call vote in the record.
The council and clerk said staff will publish required election notices and materials in advance of county deadlines and will return to council with any additional administrative matters as needed.
The next procedural steps are the county's preparation of statement-of-election facts and boundary maps, the candidate filing period in mid-July, and the county's conduct of the election and official canvas after Nov. 3.
City Clerk Dominique Davis told the council the resolution is a routine but necessary step that places one mayoral seat and two city council seats on the November ballot, opens the candidate filing window and authorizes coordination of ballot materials and district boundaries with the county. She said the candidate statement word limit will be 200 words and that candidates will be responsible for the cost of optional statements in the voter guide.
Davis said the county has identified a July 1 deadline for the statement of election facts and boundary materials and staff expects the candidate filing period to begin on July 13 and run through Aug. 7; if an incumbent fails to file, a five-calendar-day extension applies to that office. The county will conduct the official canvas and certify results, after which the city will receive and declare results at a future council meeting.
The presentation included Monterey County's current cost estimate range of roughly $6 to $10 per registered voter; with Seaside's 15,249 registered voters as of May 15, staff estimated the city's share could range from about $91,494 to $152,490 depending largely on ballot printing and voter guide costs. The council did not adopt a firm contract amount Friday; finance and clerk staff said the county will invoice the city after the election.
Davis also noted the resolution specifies a lawful tie-breaking method by lot pursuant to state law (Elections Code procedure identified in the staff report) and reiterated that the resolution calls the election and requests consolidation only; it does not select candidates or determine outcomes.
After brief council questions about the cost drivers and voter counts, a councilmember moved and seconded the staff recommendation. The motion carried unanimously; the transcript records the result as "motion carried unanimously" but does not list a roll-call vote in the record.
The council and clerk said staff will publish required election notices and materials in advance of county deadlines and will return to council with any additional administrative matters as needed.
The next procedural steps are the county's preparation of statement-of-election facts and boundary maps, the candidate filing period in mid-July, and the county's conduct of the election and official canvas after Nov. 3.
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