Encinitas 2026 Election Filing Open for Mayor, 2 Council Seats

Encinitas candidate filing is open for the city’s November 3, 2026, general municipal election, giving potential candidates less than two weeks from July 27 to submit paperwork for mayor or two City Council seats.

The regular filing deadline is Friday, August 7, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. The election will include one citywide mayoral race and council races for Districts 3 and 4.

What will be on the ballot

Encinitas voters will elect one mayor to a full two-year term ending in November 2028. Voters in Council Districts 3 and 4 will each elect one council member to a full four-year term ending in November 2030.

The mayoral contest is citywide. The council contests are district-based, so residents should confirm whether their address is in District 3 or District 4 before evaluating the relevant race. The city provides district map and address information for that purpose.

Who can file

Mayor candidates must be residents of Encinitas and registered voters in the city when their nomination papers are issued.

Council candidates must live in, and be registered voters in, the district they seek to represent when nomination papers are issued. That means a person cannot qualify for a District 3 or District 4 contest based only on general Encinitas residency.

How the deadline works

The filing period opened July 13 and runs through the city’s August 7 deadline. If the incumbent for the mayoral seat, District 3, or District 4 does not file by 4:30 p.m. on August 7, the deadline for that specific office may be extended for non-incumbent candidates only. In that case, the conditional extension would run through Wednesday, August 12, at 5:30 p.m.

The August 12 extension is not automatic for every race. It depends on whether the incumbent for that particular office fails to file by the regular deadline, and it does not extend the deadline for an incumbent candidate.

Where candidates should start

Nomination papers are obtained from and returned to the Encinitas City Clerk by appointment. The city lists appointment hours from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on open Fridays during the filing period.

Potential candidates can contact City Clerk Pete Weichers at 760-633-2601 or cityclerk@encinitasca.gov to arrange an appointment and ask about the filing process.

The next important update will come after the August 7 deadline, when the city’s official candidate information and any office-specific extension notices should clarify which races are contested and whether non-incumbent candidates receive additional time.

Sources

• City of Encinitas Municipal Elections page
• San Diego County Registrar of Voters candidate filing page