It’s time to think about throwing your hat into the ring
For those in our community who think they might have the right stuff to serve in an elected Lassen County constitutional office or the Susanville City Council and ably represent the citizens of Lassen County and Susanville, it’s time for you to get serious about your candidacy.
Up for election in the June 5, Primary Election are the county’s constitutional offices — the sheriff, the district attorney, the auditor, the county clerk, the assessor and one Lassen County Superior Court judge seat.
Two seats from the Lassen County Board of Supervisors are also on the ballot — District 3 and District 5.
If a candidate in any one of these races earns more than 50 percent of the vote, they will win election and take office in January. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote; the two candidates with the most votes will face each other in the November election.
Two seats are also up for election on the Susanville City Council. The top vote getter in those races should be seated sometime in June.
Seats on a number of commissions and special districts in Lassen County will be contested in the November election.
State and federal seats are also up for election in the June Primary — governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, attorney general, insurance commissioner, some members of the state board of equalization, state senators in even numbered-districts, members of the assembly, the superintendent of public instruction, one U.S. senator and all U.S. representatives in California.
Deadlines
Here are some deadlines for the local elective offices from the Lassen County Clerk’s Office.
The signature-in-lieu of filing period runs from Dec. 14, 2017 through Feb. 7, 2018.
The declaration of intention of judicial candidates must be filed between Jan. 29 and Feb. 7. Non-refundable filing fees must be paid at the time the declaration of intent is filed. If an incumbent does not seek reelection, the deadline is extended from Feb. 8 to Feb. 12.
The declaration of candidacy and nomination paper period runs from Feb. 12 through March 9. A declaration of candidacy may not be withdrawn after 5 p.m. March 9.
The nomination period extension (if an incumbent does not file for reelection) is March 10 through March 14.
The statement of write-in candidacy and nomination paper period for voter-nominated offices is April 9 through May 22.
A certified list of write-in candidates will be prepared May 25.
What about ballots?
The military and overseas voter vote-by-mail ballot delivery period is April 6 through April 21.
The vote-by-mail ballot mailing period is May 7 through May 29.
The last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot is May 29.
Voters may vote at polling places on Election Day, Tuesday, June 5, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The last day for the county clerk’s office to receive vote-by-mail ballots postmarked no later than June 5 is June 8.
If you believe you can make a difference as an elected official in Lassen County, we encourage you to pay attention to these deadlines and run for office.