Elections

2020 General Municipal Election

The City of Arcata will hold a general municipal election on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The official notice of election can be viewed here.

To register to vote in the upcoming election, please click here.

City Council Candidates


The City Council adopts laws and sets policies to guide the City Manager and City staff in City operations. City Council members attend two regular City Council meetings each month in addition to other special meetings and study sessions, and other monthly meetings of various regional agency partners.

Three seats on the Arcata City Council are up for election in the November 2020 General Election. These seats have full terms of 4 years, and will expire in November 2024.

Notice is hereby given that ten candidates have been nominated for the three City Council seats that will become vacant in December 2020. The official notice of candidates can be found here.

The order in which candidate's names appear on the ballot is decided by a randomized alphabetical drawing conducted at the California Secretary of State's office in Sacramento. The drawing was completed on August 13, 2020, and the following list of candidates, certified to be nominees for the Arcata City Council, are shown in the order they will appear on the general municipal election ballot in November.

* Candidates Oryan Peterson-Jones and Paul Pitino did not submit candidate's statements.

Write-In Candidates

A write-in candidate is an individual whose name voters fill in despite not appearing on the ballot.

The Write-In Candidacy period for the Tuesday, November 3, 2020 election runs beginning Tuesday, September 8 until Tuesday, October 20, 2020. Those with interest in Write-In Candidacy should review the City's Write-In Candidate's Guide.

For more information on Write-In Candidacy, please call 707-822-5853.

Ballot Measures


Two City ballot measures will be voted on at the November 2020 General Election. Registered Arcata voters will have the option to vote yes or no on these measures.

Measure A



Measure A gives voters the opportunity to approve an annual parcel tax of $37 in order to fund the improvement and maintenance of Arcata’s City parks, trails and open spaces.

Measure A Reads:

To protect and preserve natural open space areas for future generations by: improving and maintaining parks, open spaces and trails; protecting land around creeks, rivers and streams to prevent pollution and improve water quality; protecting redwood forests, wildlife habitat, working lands, scenic hillsides and agricultural land; expanding public access and trail systems; shall the City of Arcata levy a special tax of $37 annually per parcel providing approximately $175,000 annually until ended by voters, with citizen oversight and all funds benefitting local open space as set forth in City Council Resolution 190-68?

Measure A Ballot Arguments


Measure B



Measure B gives voters the ability to increase the City’s cap on affordable housing.

Measure B Reads:

Shall private and public entities be authorized to develop, construct, or acquire up to 7.5% of the total number of housing units in the City of Arcata for elderly, disabled and alter-abled, and low-income households, pursuant to Article XXXIV of the California Constitution? An affirmative vote on this measure has no fiscal impact, nor does it grant approval for any specific project. If approved, this measure would rescind and replace the 1992 Measure I, which authorized a limit of 5%.

Measure B Ballot Arguments


The complete text of the measures are available in the City Clerk’s office between the hours of 11 AM and 5 PM, Monday through Friday.