Message from the Registrar of Voters Regarding City Council Elections for the City of San Leandro

October 24, 2026

Dear City of San Leandro Voters:

We provide the following information in the hope of avoiding confusion about the elections for City Council Districts 1, 2, 3, and 5. Most importantly:

• Vote. Please vote, following the instructions on the ballot and in the voter information guide.
• Every vote will be counted and reported. Our Office will process and count every vote on every ballot timely cast and submitted.
• Every vote will be reported and certified. Just as we do in every election, we will report and certify the results of every vote. The final Statement of the Vote will list the number of votes cast for each candidate in each precinct in San Leandro.
• The City of San Leandro will declare the winners. Using the certified results, the precinct maps, and the City’s council district maps, the City of San Leandro will determine and declare the winners of the elections for City Council Districts 1, 2, 3, and 5.

For those of you interested in a bit more detail, we offer the following explanation.

As a charter city, the City of San Leandro is the election official for its own municipal elections. This means the City of San Leandro can conduct their own elections, including for mayor and city council seats. Alternatively, the City Council can vote to pass a resolution asking the Registrar of Voters to run the City’s elections. That resolution must explain what elections the City wants our Office to run and how the City wants us to conduct those elections.

When our Office receives those resolutions, we are legally obligated to run the City of San Leandro’s elections as the City’s resolution directs us, and consistent with state election laws.

For this November’s election, the City of San Leandro timely provided us with a resolution asking our Office to conduct San Leandro’s General Municipal Elections—including the races for city council. Paragraph 5 of that resolution stated, “[t]hat the offices of City Councilmember are elected by the registered voters of the City of San Leandro at-large and require a 50%+1 majority . . . to be elected.” As required by law, our Office prepared ballots and set up the elections for San Leandro’s City Council races consistent with the directions provided in the City’s resolution.

On October 8, as voters began receiving ballots, the City of San Leandro contacted our Office, noting that the ballots sent to voters included all city council races—as required for an at-large election. But the City also noted that, in June 2026, San Leandro voters passed Measure F, which amended the City’s Charter to use district-based elections to elect city councilmembers. The City also acknowledged that the ballots that our Office created and distributed to voters are consistent with the direction provided by the City in its resolution asking our Office to conduct its municipal elections this November.

Since then, the City of San Leandro and our Office have engaged in positive, collaborative discussions, aiming to ensure that San Leandro’s municipal elections are fair, transparent, and comply with all requirements under California’s election laws. Again, all eligible voters in San Leandro should vote and turn in their ballots, just as you would in any other election. Our Office will process, count, and report every vote on every ballot. After the votes have been counted, we will certify every vote cast in each race in San Leandro’s municipal election, and we will issue a final Statement of the Vote that will list the number of votes cast for each candidate in each precinct in San Leandro. The City of San Leandro uses those certified results, precinct maps, and the City’s council district maps to determine the winners of the elections for City Council Districts 1, 2, 3, and 5.

Please feel free to contact the Registrar of Voters Office with any questions.

Sincerely, Cynthia Cornejo

Alameda County Registrar of Voters