CATHEDRAL CITY — Mail-in ballots for the Special District 1 Election on Aug. 27 are slowly trickling in, according to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters.

Of the 4,026 mail-in ballots that were mailed out beginning July 29, only 765 have been returned as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14, according to a spokeswoman for the Registrar’s office.

The purpose of the election is to fill the vacancy created when Mayor Gregory S. Pettis died in January.

There are two candidates on the ballot: former City Councilmember Shelley Kaplan and retired educator Rita Lamb.

The contentious race has been peppered with accusations of copyright infringement, theft and vandalism of signs, improperly run businesses, and more. Lamb has requested a restraining order against Kaplan’s spouse, Alan Carvalho, for allegedly intimidating her. Her request for a temporary restraining order was immediately denied.

It is not clear why Lamb was denied a TRO.

“It just means that the ex parte (out of court request) temporary restraining did not issue.  So the parties will have to appear before the court for a decision to be made.  All cases and facts are different, so I can’t presuppose to know the exact reason in any specific case.,” Marita C. Ford, Public Information Officer for Riverside Superior Court, told Uken Report.

A hearing on her restraining order is set for Aug. 28, the day after the special election.

Whether the heated election is impacting voter participation is difficult to tell.

The term of whoever is elected will expire once the November 2020 Election Results have been certified by the Registrar of Voters Office and accepted by the City Council. Both Kaplan and Lamb have told Uken Report they would seek re-election in 2020 if they win.

This special election is vote-by-mail only.  There will be no polling places on Election Day.

The Riverside County Registrar of Voters is conducting this election for the city and all mail-in ballots will be received and counted by their office.

For the purpose of this election, City Hall and the Registrar of Voters Office will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. p.m. on Aug.  27, 2019, to receive mail-in ballots.

 

 

Image Sources

  • vote: Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay