Chino Valley Elections, Overview

Regular Candidate Elections


Elections for Mayor and Town Council are held in the fall of even-numbered years.  The Primary Election is in early August and the General Election is in early November. The Chino Valley Town Council is comprised of the Mayor and 6 Councilmembers. The Mayor and Councilmembers are elected from the town at large, the Mayor to a 2-year term and the Councilmembers to 4-year terms. All Chino Valley candidate elections are non-partisan.

Staggered Terms

To avoid having all the Council seats expire in the same year, Council terms are staggered, with the Mayor and 3 Councilmembers elected at one election and the Mayor and the other 3 Councilmembers elected 2 years later. Vacancies created mid-term may result in 2-year term Councilmember positions also being on the ballot.
 

Runoff Election

 
If no candidate for an office receives a majority of the votes cast for that office in the Primary Election, a runoff election will be held at the General Election. The candidates included on the General Election ballot are those who received the most votes in the Primary, but no more than twice the number of candidates for which there are open seats on the council.

For example:  There are 9 candidates for 3 Council positions on the Primary Election ballot. 1 person receives a majority of votes cast and is elected. Only the 4 of the remaining 8 candidates with the most votes are placed on the General Election ballot.
 

Special Elections

Special elections may be called in March, May, August, or November of any year. Reasons to call a special election include, but are not limited to: initiatives, referendums, recalls, bond measures, utility questions, General Plan updates, and expenditure limitation options. Special elections will generally be by vote-by-mail balloting. 
   
Election Provisions in Town Code (see Chapter 37)