Two candidates are running for the vacant District 4 seat in the city of Buellton Tuesday night.
The candidates are David King, the former mayor of Buellton and retired CHP officer, and Carla Mead, a former middle school teacher and board member for the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society.
Linda Reid, Buellton city clerk, explained that it is uncommon to hold a special election because in her experience, a vacant seat has typically been appointed to someone quite quickly.
“That is the way it is done,” said Reid. “But there was not a consensus this time because we only had four members on the council. It did come out to be two to two to tie, and we could not break that tie. So we're doing a special election.”
Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by August 26.
Alternatively, voters may place their ballot in drop boxes at the Buellton City Hall, or the county elections division main office in Santa Barbara by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
According to Reid, the city expects to certify the election on September 12.
