Official ballot drop boxes to open Feb. 8 for special election

OC REGISTRAR'S OFFICE

A special election for an open seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors will be held on March 9. At stake is whether Republicans can maintain a 4-1 supermajority or if Democrats can pave the way toward a competitive 3-2 vote on the board.

Voters will decide who will replace outgoing Michelle Steel on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, 2nd district.

Steel resigned to be sworn into Congress after winning the 48th Congressional District from Democrat Harley Rouda in the November election.

There are five candidates in a crowded field: Kevin Muldoon, a small businessman and councilman; John Moorlach, a former state senator who used to represent the 2nd District on the Board of Supervisors; Michael Vo, mayor and business owner; Katrina Foley, mayor and business owner, and Janet Rappaport, tax attorney, according to the Candidate Filing Log at the OC Registrar’s Office.

The registrar will open 28 official voter drop boxes, including one in Leisure World, starting Feb. 8 ahead of the March 9 election. It will be the final day of a month of voting.

Under the official schedule, voters can cast mail-in ballots as soon as Feb. 8.

The drop box in LW is located near the Administration Building next to the U.S. mailbox in front of the Amphitheater bus hub.

OC Registrar staff will pick up ballots Monday-Friday between Feb. 8-Feb. 26.

From Saturday, Feb. 27-Tuesday, March 9, ballots will be picked up daily, including weekends On Election Day, March 9, two county employees will be assigned at each Ballot Drop Box starting in the late afternoon to assist with traffic flow, receive dropped off ballots and lock the ballot mail slots at 8 p.m. or after the last voter.

—from the OC Registrar