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Elections

The General Municipal Election is on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. You can visit any Orange County vote center to vote in person, vote by mail or drop off your ballot at a secured ballot drop box. All vote centers will be open November 5 through November 8. Go here for vote center locations and other voting information.

What's on the ballot for 2022 for Santa Ana?

At the municipal level, there are three categories of items on the ballot for 2022:

You can read the official Notice of Candidates and Proposed Ballot Measures on our news feed. The notice is also available in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean.

About the elections process

The City Clerk serves as the elections official and is responsible for all candidate filings, the issuance and acceptance of nomination papers, City measures, and publication of all legal notices as well as campaign and conflict of interest filings required by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).

The City Council is made up of a Mayor and six Councilmembers, for a total of seven members. City Councilmembers are nominated by their respective wards and the Mayor seat is nominated at-large. The offices of Mayor and City Council are non-partisan.

The Mayor serves a term of two years, with a maximum of four consecutive terms. While, Councilmembers each serve a four-year term, with a maximum of three consecutive four-year terms.

Pursuant to Resolution No. 2020-041, to be eligible to be elected to the office of Councilmember, a person must be a registered voter and provide proof of residency no less than 30 days in the ward from which the candidate is nominated prior to issuing the nomination papers. To be eligible to be elected to the office of Mayor, a person must be a registered voter and provide proof of residency no less than 30 days in Santa Ana.

The next General Municipal Election will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 for the mayoral seat and for council seats in wards 2, 4, 6.

How to run for office

Candidates may be nominated for any of the elective offices of the  respective ward they reside in the City only during the Nomination Period between the 113th day and the 88th day before a municipal election.

Eligible candidates must be:

  • a United States citizen;
  • 18 years old on or before Election Day;
  • a registered voter;
  • a current Santa Ana resident
    • proof verifying thirty (30) days of residency for that office is required by the time Nomination Papers are issued by the elections official.

Terms of council office are for four (4) years and the mayor serves a term of two (2) years.

1.   Before nomination period

There are things candidates can do to prepare for election before candidate filing commences. One of the things they can do is file a Form 501 with the Clerk’s office. The Form 501 serves as a formal announcement of a candidate's intent to run. As a potential candidate, you may establish a Campaign Committee if you plan to raise $2,000+ or spend $1,000+ during your campaign. To establish a Committee, you will need to: 1) file a Statement of Organization (Form 410) with the Secretary of State, and 2) setup an electronic filing account by contacting the City Clerk's Office by email at cityclerk@santa-ana.org. If you are a City Council candidate, please read the limitations on contributions from Santa Ana City Charter 1206.

2.   During nomination period

Interested candidates must pickup one Nomination Packet from the City Clerk's Office by making an appointment within the Nomination Period. The packet consists of one Nomination Petition to circulate and forms to complete and file before the end of the period. The nomination of candidates requires no less than 20 valid signatures from registered voters in the jurisdiction of the office they are running in to qualify for the ballot.

3.   After nomination period

If you won the election and established a Campaign Committee, you must continue filing semi-annual statements until you terminate the Committee. All elected officials are also required to file annual Statements of Economic Interest or Conflict of Interest Statements (Form 700) and complete mandatory trainings such as Ethics AB1234 every two years.

If you were not successful in the election and established a Committee, pursuant to FPPC Manual 2 it is recommended that you terminate your Committee, please refer to the manual to learn how and when to do so. The City also recommends participating in local government in other ways by serving on a board or commission or participating in public meetings.

Additional information

Election history

Campaign finance

Proof of residency for current councilmembers

Voter information

  • Visit the County of Orange Registrar of Voters website
    The Registrar of Voters (ROV) is the County Elections Official and the office conducts all Federal, State, County, Municipal, School District, and Special District scheduled and special elections. The ROV Office is also responsible for voter registration, education and outreach, maintenance of registration files, verification of initiatives, referenda and recall petitions, and filing of campaign reports.
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