June 23, 2026
City Clerk's Office
DATE: June 23, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Pamela Christian, City Clerk
Subject: Calling for the November 3, 2026, General Municipal Election
FINANCIAL IMPACT: As of September 8, 2025, the total number of registered voters in the City of Richmond is 59,580. For the
November 3, 2026, General Municipal Election, the cost
estimate to conduct the Council component of the
election is between $2.75 and $4.00 per registered voter.
Accordingly, the estimated cost to hold the Council
election is $239,000. The major cost driver for initiatives is the number of pages printed in the Sample Ballot
Booklet; a measure with 10 pages is estimated to cost
between $8,000 and $10,000. Funding for the election is included within the approved Fiscal Year 2025–2026 City Clerk’s Office budget (Account String: 01141013-400294
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
November 2024
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Pursuant to Measure J, approved by the voters in
November 2024, the City conducted its first Primary
Municipal Election on June 2, 2026, under the City’s new majority-vote election system. The full four-year terms for the mayor and three councilmembers will expire on
January 12, 2027. Pursuant to Section 3 of Article III of the City Charter, a General Municipal Election must be
held on the first Tuesday in November of each even-
numbered year to fill the expired seats.
AGENDA
REPORT
June 23, 2026
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
ADOPT a resolution: (1) Calling and Giving Notice of the holding of a General Municipal Election to be held on
Tuesday, November 3, 2026, for the election of certain
officers as required by the provisions of the Charter of the City of Richmond; (2) requesting the Board of
Supervisors of Contra Costa County to consolidate the
General Municipal Election with the Statewide General
Election; and (3) adopting regulations for candidates
pertaining to the candidates’ statements submitted to the voters, cost of the candidates’ statements and other fees, word limit for candidates’ statements; and actions to be taken for a tie vote – City Clerk’s Office (Pamela
Christian 510-620-6513).
DISCUSSION:
The full four-year terms for the mayor and three councilmembers will expire on January 12, 2027. At the General Municipal Election held on November 5, 2024, the electorate approved Measure J (Richmond Election Reform Action) to improve accountability, governance, and strengthen representation in the City of Richmond.
Measure J requires the City of Richmond to hold a primary municipal election pursuant to updates and additions to Article III of the City Charter. Measure J established a primary and general municipal election system and changed the City's method of electing municipal officers from a plurality-vote system to a majority-vote system.
Unless a candidate receives a majority of votes cast at the primary municipal election, the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes for the office will advance to the General Municipal Election. Therefore, the candidate who receives a majority of the total votes cast at the primary election, would be elected, and no general municipal election would be held for that office.
If two or more candidates for mayor or two or more candidates in a district receive an equal and the highest number of votes, the City Clerk shall summon the candidates receiving the tie vote to appear before her, at the time designated by the City Clerk, in the Council Chamber. The City Clerk shall place the name of each candidate in a sealed unmarked envelope, and the tie vote shall be broken by lot.
The official results of the June 2, 2026, Primary Municipal Election will be certified no later than July 2, 2026.
A resolution to call and hold the November 3, 2026, General Municipal Election must be filed with the County Elections Department no later than July 1, 2026.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
June 23, 2026
Attachment 1 – Resolution Calling for the November 3, 2026, General Municipal Election