Candidates may obtain petitions December 14 for June ballot

Candidates interested in running for an office on the June 5, 2018 Primary ballot may obtain petitions beginning Thursday, December 14, from the Santa Cruz County Elections Department to collect signatures to cover all or part of the filing fee required to run for office.

The start of the Petition In-Lieu process has been moved up a couple of weeks due to legislation recently signed into law.

Filing fees for the various offices up for election are based on 1 or 2 percent of the annual salary. Fees range from $3,916.12 for Governor to $1,072.42 for State Assembly. Candidates may collect signatures that have a specific value per signature to cover all or part of the filing fee. Petitions In-Lieu may be obtained from the Santa Cruz County Clerk/Elections Department, located at 701 Ocean Street, Room 210 in Santa Cruz. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on weekends and holidays.

Candidates must file their Petitions In-Lieu by February 7.

Offices up for election on June 5, 2018 include:

• State Offices: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, and Superintendent of Public Instruction
• State Board of Equalization, 2nd District
• US Senate
• US Congress, 18th and 20th Districts
• State Assembly, 29th and 30th Districts
• Superior Court Judge – 1 position
• County Supervisor, 3rd and 4th Districts
• County Offices: Assessor-Recorder, Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector, County Clerk, Superintendent of Schools, District Attorney-Public Administrator, and Sheriff-Coroner

Candidates for Superior Court Judge must file a Declaration of Intention statement from January 29 to February 7. If the incumbent does not file, the deadline will be extended to February 12.

Another important candidate filing period is February 12 to March 9. During this time, candidates file the following documents:

· Declaration of Candidacy filing for all candidates;

· Nomination Papers filing for all candidates. Candidates must file a specified number of valid signatures on a Nomination Petition in order to have his or her name on the primary ballot. Candidates who file Petitions In-Lieu will have signatures collected applied toward the nomination signature requirement;

· Candidate’s Statement of Qualifications is optional for candidates running for Superior Court Judge, Board of Supervisors, and County Offices. Statements not exceeding 200 words must be filed and paid for at the time of filing the candidate’s Declaration of Candidacy. Candidates for State Senate and Assembly may file a 250-word statement by the deadline if he or she has agreed to adhere to the spending limits pursuant to Proposition 34. Candidates for Congress may also file a 250-word candidate statement for printing in the county Voter Information Guide by the March 9 deadline.

A “Candidate’s Handbook” detailing deadlines, forms, candidate filing requirements, and election processes for the June 5, 2018 Primary Election is available from the Santa Cruz County Clerk/Elections Department at 701 Ocean St., Room 210, Santa Cruz, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 831-454-2060. The Candidate’s Handbook is also available online at www.votescount.com. In addition, a daily update of candidates who have taken out papers or have filed is available online at www.votescount.com as well as other important information regarding the June Primary.