Riverside’s November 3 Runoff Will Decide City Council Seats in Wards 2 and 4

Riverside voters in City Council Wards 2 and 4 will return to the polls on November 3, 2026, after neither ward produced a majority winner in the June 2 primary.

The City of Riverside has called the contest a General Municipal Runoff Election. Only registered voters who reside in Wards 2 and 4 will vote in those City Council races.

Why the runoff is happening

The City Clerk says the Ward 2 and Ward 4 races advanced because no candidate received a majority of the vote in either ward during the June primary. The Ward 6 City Council race was decided in that election and is not part of the November runoff.

A July 7 City Council agenda record documents action on resolutions declaring the June election results and ordering, calling and providing notice of the November 3 runoff for Riverside’s Second and Fourth Wards. The record also says the municipal election will be consolidated with other elections held in the same territory on that date.

Current candidate fields

The City Clerk’s official candidate document, updated April 20, lists four candidates for the Ward 2 seat:

• Gracie Torres
• Christen Montero
• Aram Ayra
• Mike Vahl

It lists three candidates for Ward 4:

• Jessica Qattawi
• Chuck Conder
• Rich Vandenberg

Those are the candidate fields shown in the current official city document. The document does not establish that either race has been narrowed to two candidates, so voters should rely on later official election updates if the field changes.

What Riverside voters should check

The Riverside City Clerk’s elections page provides the runoff date, affected wards and the official candidate information. The Riverside County Registrar of Voters’ November 3 election page provides election resources, including the election calendar, candidate information and voter-resource links.

Residents should verify their registration, ward eligibility, ballot status, voting location, ballot-drop-off options and applicable deadlines through the city and county election offices as the election approaches.

The November result will determine the City Council representatives for Wards 2 and 4. For residents in those wards, the practical question is who will represent their neighborhoods at City Hall after the June primary left both races unresolved.

Sources

• Riverside City Clerk elections page
• City of Riverside Legislation File 26-2177
• November 3, 2026 General Election