The Honorable Juan Carrillo
California State Assembly
1021 O Street, Suite 5530
Sacramento, CA 95814
Dear Assemblymember Carrillo:
On behalf of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, I am writing in opposition to Assembly Bill 868 (Carrillo), which proposes a significant change to the election procedures for nonpartisan county offices.
AB 868 would require that the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes in a primary election for county nonpartisan offices advance to the general election, even when one candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary. This change would eliminate the current and long-standing provision of law that rightfully declares such a candidate elected at the primary—an approach that promotes efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and voter clarity.
Furthermore, requiring a general election for contests already decided by majority vote imposes additional and avoidable costs on county election offices and taxpayers. In smaller or uncontested races, this results in duplicative ballots for an outcome that has already been determined.
We believe the current system balances voter participation with administrative efficiency, allowing the electoral process to conclude when a clear majority choice is made. AB 868 undermines this balance by mandating a second election in cases where it is not needed, ultimately disrupting local governance without clear benefit to voters.
For these reasons, Tulare County respectfully urges the legislature to oppose AB 868.
Sincerely,
Pete Vander Poel, Chair
Chair, Tulare County Board of Supervisors
cc: Tulare County State Delegation, Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer and Lange