What is a nonpartisan office?
A nonpartisan is an office for which candidates’ names appear on the ballot without party designation. No party may nominate a candidate for nonpartisan office. Which offices are nonpartisan? Local offices such as most city council members, county supervisors, all judgeships, including the statewide office of member of the California Supreme Court, and all school boards, including the statewide offices of Superintendent of Public Instruction and Insurance Commissioner, are nonpartisan. Are there nonpartisan primaries? Yes. Some local nonpartisan primaries such as those for judges are usually held at the same times as the statewide regular primary in March. A candidate for a nonpartisan office who is on the March ballot is selected if he or she wins more than 50% of the vote. If not, there is a runoff election in November between the top two candidates. Do all nonpartisan offices use primaries? No. Some nonpartisan offices, such as most city councils and school boards, do not use primar
