Election Information

The City Council called the November 6, 2018 adopted a Resolution calling the General Municipal Election. The Town will hold an election for the election of three (3) council members to four (4) year terms beginning in December, 2018. 

The filing period for nomination papers, candidate statements and related documents will be available in the Office of the City Clerk, 91 Ashfield Road, Atherton, CA, on Monday, July 16 at 8:00 a.m.  Nomination papers must be submitted by Friday, August 10, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. except that in the event an incumbent for any such office does not file nomination papers by that date and time, the period is extended for five days to Wednesday, August 15, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.    

The following is a list of potential Candidates. Candidates are no longer "potential" once they are deemed qualified. A potential candidate is deemed qualified once the County has verified at least 20 signatures on a potential candidates nomination forms. 

San Mateo County Election Division has scheduled the following sessions for the November 6, 2018 Election:
 
Candidate Seminars (choose one session)
Thursday, July 26, 2018, 2 p.m. at 40 Tower Road, San Mateo

Voter Data Seminars (immediately following the Candidate Seminars)

Thursday, July 26, 2018, 3:30 p.m. at 40 Tower Road, San Mateo

The last day to register to vote in the election is October 22, 2018 and is open to all UNITED STATES CITIZENS who will be at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of the next election.

Check back for additional information as the Nomination Period nears. 

Election Material

• Candidate Filing Checklist
• Letter to Candidate
• Table of Contents
  
  Candidacy Papers
  1.Public Information Resume (voluntary)
  2.Nomination Papers/Affidavit Circulator
  3.Declaration of Candidacy/Oath of Office
  4.Ballot Designation Worksheet
  5.Candidates Statement (no form – candidate types and submits hard copy and electronic copy) 200 word max.
  6.Candidate Statement of Qualifications Form
  7.Code of Fair Campaign Practices Form
  8.Permission to Post Personal Information on Internet
  9.Chinese Given Name Translation Form
  10.Form 700 – Conflict of Interest Code

Candidate Statement Guide prepared by San Mateo County Elections Department. This guide provides step by step directions on all things a candidate needs to know to run for office and for submitting the paperwork listed above.

The highlighted items above must be submitted altogether at once.

Campaign Statements and other Forms
1.Campaign Disclosure Manual 
2.Form 501 Candidate Intention Statement - This is required of potential candidates before they can begin fundraising.
3.Form 410 - File this form within 10 days of receiving $2,000 in contributions. Include a $50 payment made payable to the Secretary of State.

Candidates Raising and Spending $2,000 or More

A candidate who does not plan to raise or spend $2,000 or more in a calendar year, including the candidate’s personal funds, must file one or both of the following forms:

•Form 501 (Candidate Intention Statement). The Form 501 must be filed only if the candidate plans to raise or spend any money, including the candidate’s personal funds.
•Form 470 (Officeholder and Candidate Campaign Statement— Short Form). The Form 470 may be filed by a candidate or officeholder who does not anticipate raising or spending $2,000 or more in a calendar year.

Personal funds used to pay filing or ballot statement fees are not counted toward the $2,000 committee qualification threshold. If a candidate does not raise any money and personal funds are used only to pay filing or ballot statement fees, the candidate is not required to file the Form 501.

A candidate who plans to raise or spend $2,000 or more in a calendar year, including the candidate’s personal funds, must:

•File the Form 501 (Candidate Intention Statement).
•File the Form 410 (Statement of Organization).
•Establish a campaign bank account

A candidate or officeholder who would like to use leftover campaign funds from a previous election must re-designate or transfer the funds before they become “surplus funds.” (See Chapters 5 and 11 of the Campaign Disclosure Manual)

As discussed in detail in the Campaign Disclosure Manual, once a candidate controlled committee has raised or spent $2,000 or more, the following reports must also be filed:

•Form 497 (24-hour Contribution Report). Within 90 days before the election, including the date of the election, if a committee receives a contribution(s) of $1,000 or more from a single source, the Form 497 must be filed within 24 hours.

•Form 460 (Recipient Committee Campaign Statement). The Form 460 contains an overview of the committee’s activity during a specified period. It is used to file semi-annual and pre-election statements. See Campaign Filing Deadlines included in the section below.

Other Useful Information
1.Town of Atherton Municipal Code, Chapter 2
2.Campaign Filing Deadlines (Form 460)

ALL STATEMENTS AND FORMS LISTED ABOVE ARE PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.