Sonora Moves Future Elections To November

Sonora, CA — The Sonora City Council is hoping to increase voter participation in the councilmember selection process.

The city leaders took a final vote last night to move future city elections, starting in 2026, to the November General Election.

Previously, including this year, city elections took place during the California primary (held in March during Presidential election years and June in Gubernatorial election years). Mayor Ann Segerstrom commented ahead of the vote, “One of the reasons for amending the ordinance is voter participation, which is higher in a General Election (November). In Sonora, our City Council is definitely out of step with the rest of the state. In general, I hope it will increase participation in our city elections.”

During the public comment period, former councilmember Colette Such warned that the campaign period will be longer, if candidates want to take part in early forums with members of the board of supervisors, and the thought of a longer campaign to her is “hideous.” She concluded, “If that doesn’t bother any of you, that is up to you.”

Segerstrom countered that candidates will have the option of deciding how long they choose to run their campaigns.

For county elections, the primary is held in March or June, and if a single candidate fails to get over 50% of the vote, the top two finalists move on to the November General Election. The City of Sonora does not do a runoff, and the top vote getters are declared the winners regardless of whether they acquire over 50%.

Nearby Angels Camp, in Calaveras County, holds elections in November.

The vote to change the date was unanimous, 5-0.