By Maureen Gupta / Indivisible North San Diego County Blog
Rep. Hunter’s resignation would trigger either a special election or a replacement appointed by Gov. Jerry Brown.
Here’s how a special election works: A primary election is called and, if one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, he or she wins. If not, there is a run-off election between the two top candidates, no matter their party affiliation. Once the dates are announced, the usual procedures apply as with any general election, including mail-in ballots and in-person voting.
We can look to District 34 as an instructive example. Rep. Xavier Becerra vacated his position as a U.S. congressperson on January 24, 2017, just before he was sworn in as California Attorney General. Twenty-four candidates, including 1 Republican and 19 Democrats, ran in the first election, which just concluded. Since no candidate received more than 50%, there will be another run-off election between the top two candidates in June. [Read more…]