VOTER GUIDE: Who and what’s on the March 5 primary ballot in Modesto and Stanislaus County

Carlos Virgen
·3 min read

Welcome to The Modesto Bee’s Voter Guide to California’s March 5 primary election.

Ballots will arrive in your mailbox this week as early mail-in voting for the primary election opens.

In addition to choosing who will be on the ballot for president in November, voters in Stanislaus County will have a chance to determine who will represent them in Congress, the Legislature, as well as city and county government.

What’s on the ballot?

Here are links to the various contests for voters to decide, depending on where you live. Please check back, as this guide will be updated regularly. Click a link for more details about the candidates in that race:

CITY OF MODESTO

  • Modesto Mayor: Mayor Sue Zwahlen, seeking a second term. She’s challenged by Sebastian Jones and Dewey Bedford Jr. A separate article details past court cases involving the mayoral hopefuls.

STANISLAUS COUNTY

  • Board of Supervisors: Incumbents Vito Chiesa, Channce Condit and Matthew “Buck” Condit are not opposed.

  • Superior Court: Judges Joseph Distaso, Valli Israels, Sweena Pannu, Maria Ramos Ratliff, Stacy Speiller and Carrie Stephens are not opposed.

RIVERBANK UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

  • Measure N would reauthorize $2.1 million in bonds for school repairs and improving student safety. The measure requires 55% voter approval.

CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY

  • Assembly District 9: Republican incumbent Heath Flora of Ripon, challenged by Tami Nobriga, an American Independent and retired businesswoman from Lodi.

  • Assembly District 22: Republican incumbent Juan Alanis of Modesto, challenged by Democrat Jessica Self, a children’s advocate and businesswoman from Modesto.

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

U.S. SENATE

STATEWIDE INITIATIVE

HOW TO VOTE WHERE’S MY BALLOT?

California offers several options for casting your ballot. On Feb. 5, county elections officials will begin mailing vote-by-mail ballots to all active voters. If you mail it back, it must be postmarked no later than Election Day (Tuesday, March 5) and received by March 12. You can also take it to a secure ballot drop box, a voting location or your county voting office any time between Feb. 5 and 8 p.m. March 5.

NEED TO REGISTER?

If you are not yet registered to vote, and you’re 18 or older on Election Day, you have until Feb. 20 to register by mail or online. After that, you have until the polls close on March 5 to conditionally register and vote at your county election office, vote center or polling place. Once officials verify your eligibility, your vote is counted. If you are unsure about your voter registration status, you can check here.

VOTING IN PERSON?

For a list of official ballot box locations, see your voter guide or visit: www.stanvote.com/pdf/voting-locations.pdf. Locations will be posted 29 days prior to the election date. For in-person voting, you can visit your local vote center. If you wish to vote in person but have a vote-by-mail ballot, you must bring and surrender that ballot for a scannable ballot. Voting centers open three days before the election — earlier in some places. Your nearest vote center also provides other services including:

  • Get a replacement ballot if yours is missing, damaged or you made a mistake.

  • Register or update your registration prior to voting.

  • Drop off your voted ballot at a staffed authorized drop box.