Elections | Newark, CA

General Municipal Election

The City of Newark is a General Law City operating under a Council–City Manager form of government. The City Council consists of one Mayor and four Council Members, all elected at large in nonpartisan elections.

Municipal elections are held in November of even-numbered years. Voters elect two Council Members to four-year terms and one Mayor to a two-year term.

November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election

The next General Municipal Election will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Election information, forms, deadlines, and candidate resources will be added to this page as they become available.

View the Roster of Candidate Activity for the latest candidate filings.

View candidate statements for the November 3, 2026, General Municipal Election. The publication of these statements by the City does not constitute an endorsement of or opposition to any candidate.

View information regarding the Candidate Information Meeting, August 13, 2026 @ 6:00 p.m.

Review the 2026 Candidate Handbook to learn about candidate qualifications, filing requirements, and the election process.

Offices on the Ballot

Mayor (1 seat) – 2-year term
City Council (2 seats) – 4-year terms

Nomination Period (Elections Code § 10220)

Nomination Period Opens - Monday, July 13, 2026
Nomination Period Closes - Friday, August 7, 2026
November 3, 2026 - General Municipal Election

*If an eligible incumbent does not file, the nomination period may be extended as provided by the California Elections Code.

Candidates must make an appointment by contacting the City Clerk at 510-578-4266 or via email to elections@newarkca.gov in order to receive and submit Nomination Paper.

Ballot Measure Information

On Thursday, July 23, 2026, the City Council voted in favor of placing a measure on the November 2026 ballot related to Newark's Business License Tax.

Ballot Measure Question

“Newark Essential Services Protection Measure. To protect city services such as repairing potholes/streets; keeping neighborhoods safe/clean, and maintaining 9-1-1 emergency response/fire protection/neighborhood police patrols/parks/recreation programs, shall the measure be adopted updating Newark’s 56-year-old business license ordinance, lowering many small businesses' taxes, with rates up to 0.3% of gross receipts (as described in the ordinance), raising $6,600,000 annually until ended by voters, with spending disclosure/ independent audits?”

YES

Ballot Measure: Resolution, Full Text, and Impartial Analysis by the City Attorney

August 6, 2026 @ 2 p.m. Last day to file direct arguments with City Clerk (EC 9282, 9286)
August 7-16, 2026, Public review period for direct arguments (EC 9295)

August 17, 2026 @ 2 p.m. Last day to file rebuttal arguments with City Clerk (EC 9285, 9286)
August 18-27, 2026, Public review period for rebuttal arguments (EC 9295)

August 24, 2026, Deadline to submit direct and rebuttal arguments to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters

Election Related Notices

View the Notice of Offices to be Filed.

View the Notice to voters of date after which No arguments For or Against a city measure may be submitted to the city clerk.

Running for Office
Interested in running for Mayor or City Council? The resources below will help you get started.

File a Form 501 – Candidate Intention Statement (PDF) before soliciting or receiving campaign contributions or spending personal funds. The original form must be filed with the City Clerk.

Review the 2026 General Municipal Election Calendar for important election dates and filing deadlines.

The FPPC's Campaign Disclosure Manual 2 is an essential guide for local candidates and treasurers. It explains the required campaign disclosure forms, when and where to file them, including the forms discussed during your nomination paper appointment. Please read it carefully.

Obtain Nomination Papers - Nomination papers are available by appointment during the official nomination period, July 13, 2026, through August 7, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Candidates must make an appointment by contacting the City Clerk at 510-578-4266 or via email to elections@newarkca.gov in order to receive and submit Nomination Paper.

Persons interested in running for the Newark Unified School District Board of Education or on special district boards that represent Newark residents should contact the Alameda County Registrar of Voters at (510) 272-6933 for information.

Campaign Contribution Limit

As per Ordinance No. 565, individuals or groups may contribute up to $800 per election period to a candidate or the candidate controlled committee. Candidates may use unlimited personal funds for their own campaigns.

Contributions from affiliated businesses or entities under common control may be combined and treated as coming from a single contributor. In addition, campaign loans must be documented and disclosed, and unpaid loans or vendor debts that remain unpaid for more than one year after the election may be considered campaign contributions.

Candidates may also maintain a committee after the election solely to retire campaign debt, subject to the same contribution limits. Any contribution that exceeds the allowable limit must be returned within 48 hours after the candidate or committee becomes aware of the excess contribution.

Campaign Finance

The Form 410 - Statement of Organization must be filed within 10 days of receiving $2,000 in contributions. When filing the Form 410, include a $50 payment made payable to the Secretary of State.

You are required to open a campaign committee by filing and file disclosure reports detailing the campaign’s contributions and expenditures. These reports are available to the Public Access Portal so that voters can access information about money involved in local elections.

Candidates are responsible for knowing and abiding by the FPPC regulations that apply to
them, including filing deadlines. Failure to adhere to these regulations can result in
significant fines and penalties from the FPPC. Review the campaign statement filing schedule for important filing deadlines.

Attend FPPC Candidate Training. The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) offers free training for candidates and campaign treasurers on campaign finance laws and reporting requirements.

FPPC candidate toolkit helps you understand the rules that ensure transparency and accountability in California elections.
http://www.fppc.ca.gov/learn/campaign-rules/candidate-toolkit-getting-started.html

Voting Choice

Official 24-Hour Ballot Drop Boxes

Drop your ballot off at a 24-Hour Drop Box. Make your vote count—remember to sign the back of your return envelope! Open until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Find a Drop Box Near You

Vote Center Locations
Vote in-person at any vote center, which any eligible voter can visit.
View a list of Vote Centers

Track my Ballot
Alameda County has an online tool for tracking your ballot's progress. Sign up at Track My Ballot to get notifications by email, text, or phone when your ballot is mailed, received, and counted. The tool is available in nine languages. https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/

Register to Vote
You can apply to register to vote right now by filling in the online application. The application is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese. If you have any questions, contact the Secretary of State's Elections Division at (800) 345-VOTE (8683) or by email.

Qualifications to Register to Vote
To register to vote in California, you must be:

A United States citizen and a resident of California (for information on voters in the military or overseas, please see Military and Overseas Voters),
18 years old or older on Election Day,
Not currently serving a state or federal prison term for the conviction of a felony (for more information, please see Voting Rights: Persons with a Criminal History), and
Not currently found mentally incompetent to vote by a court (for more information, please see Voting Rights: Persons Subject to Conservatorship).

For more information, plase visit https://acvote.alamedacountyca.gov/index