Director's Terms of Office Q&A
Q: When do seats on the Board generally come up for election?
A: At least two of the five seats on the Board come up for election in November of even-numbered years. Midway Heights is governed by a five-person Board as mandated by California Special Districts law. Board members are elected to serve four-year terms. Two of the terms are staggered by two years from the other three.
Q: Board seats don’t appear on the Ballot very often. Why is that?
A: There have to be at least two contenders in order to conduct an election for a particular seat. Those who wish to appear on the ballot as a candidate, including those seeking re-election, must file with the Placer County Registrar during the July-August filing period of each election year. If only one person files for a particular seat by the deadline, the seat is omitted from the ballot, and the sole contender is elected by default. Thus, if all of the seats up for election have only one filed candidate, the District is omitted from the ballot entirely.
Q: Why are vacant Board seats filled by appointment rather than election?
A: Elections are handled by the County. If the District were to ask for election services immediately, rather than waiting to be included in the next regular election, the costs would be prohibitive. Also, the process of filling the seat would be prolonged by many months. Typically, if the vacancy occurs more than six months prior to a biennial election, it makes sense to appoint a replacement so that the Board will have its full complement of Directors. Keep in mind that it takes three Directors at a Board meeting to have a quorum to conduct business.
Q: When does an appointed Director have to stand for election?
A: Between elections, when a replacement director is appointed, the appointment is for the duration of the term associated with the specific seat. The appointee will, however, need to file for election in the next biennial election, even if the seat’s term extends for another two years beyond that. If no one else files to run, the director is re-elected by default and does not appear on the final ballot. If the appointee does not file by the deadline, the filing deadline is extended by five days, giving others an extra chance to file.
For more information on how to become a board member visit the placer county elections website.