Elections

The City has a City Council/City Manager form of local government. General Municipal elections are held on the first Tuesday of November in even-numbered years. The Mayor is elected at-large by the entire City for a four year term. Council members are elected by district, by the residents within their respective district, for four-year overlapping terms. A Council member of each district must live in that district and must be a registered voter in that district to be eligible to hold the office of Council member for that district, and a candidate for any district must live in that district and must be a registered voter in that district to be eligible to run for the office of Council member for that district. Only voters who live in a district shall be eligible to vote in the election for Council member of that district.  The Mayor is elected by the voters of the City at-large, and must reside within the City boundaries.

Local Election Official 

The City Clerk serves as the local elections official and coordinates with the County of Stanislaus in conducting Municipal Elections. Duties of the Elections Official include preparation of necessary resolutions calling for General and Special Municipal Elections and declaring elections results; coordination of the candidate nomination process and receipt and processing of initiative, referendum and recall petitions.

Special Upcoming Election

The City Council has called for a Special Election for the purpose of electing one Councilmember, District 1 for a term that expires in December of 2022.  The Special Municipal Election will be held on August 31, 2021, voters in District 1 will elect a City Councilmember.    

Nomination Period for the Special Election

The Nomination Period for the August 31, 2021 Special Election begins on Monday, May 10, 2021 and closes on Friday, June 4, 2021 at 5:00 p.m.  During this period, individuals may take out, circulate and file nomination papers. You must be a registered voter in the City of Ceres at the time nomination papers are issued and must also reside in District 1.  

The  Nomination Period for District 1 closed on June 4, 2021.  Please refer to the Candidate Sign Up Chart for candidate information.  

The Write-In Candidacy Period is from July 5 – August 17.  Contact the City Clerk for questions regarding the Write-In Candidacy Period.  Please refer to the August 31, 2021 Special Election Calendar for important dates regarding the Special Election.   

COVID-19 Measures:  City office buildings remain closed to the public until further notice. To begin the nomination process, contact the City Elections Official at cityclerk@ci.ceres.ca.us to receive instructions on how to proceed. Regardless of the procedures, all original (hardcopy) required candidate documents must be received by the City Elections Official no later than the close of the nomination period on Friday, June 4th by 5:00 pm; absolutely no exception will be made once the period has closed.