What if they held an election and no one ran? That seems to be the perpetual question on the minds of officials in Clovis, who are expected to cancel their third consecutive city council election due to a lack of competition.
The election for three council seats is currently scheduled for March 3. Incumbents Harry Armstrong, Jose Flores, and Bob Whalen have all taken out their nomination papers for the election, but not a single challenger has stepped up to the plate. Since the nomination period ended Friday, that leaves the race completely uncontested, and likely to be cancelled.
In accordance with the California Elections Code, the city council must hold a special meeting before moving forward with a cancellation. The move could end up saving the city some $160,000 to $175,000. According to City Manager Jim Holt, the city has already spent about $10,000 on the election.
Clovis is no stranger to uncontested races. In 2011 and 2013, the city faced the same dilemma and decided to call the whole thing off. But perhaps third time’s the charm.
Clovis is hardly alone. The City of Industry in Los Angeles County, for instance, has cancelled the majority of its elections since 1957 for the same reason.
Read more about Clovis’ uncontested city council race here.