2018 City Council Elections

This spring, the City of Dana Point became a by-district election city. What does this mean? In prior years, the City of Dana Point held at-large elections in which all voters in the City had the opportunity to vote for candidates for all five seats on the City Council. Now, Dana Point has five districts: Monarch Beach (District 1), Dana Hills (District 2), Del Obispo (District 3), Lantern District (District 4), and Capistrano Beach area (District 5).

Districts 1 (Monarch Beach, Niguel Shores area), 2 (Dana Hills, Bible Belt, Dana Woods, Thunderbird area) and 3 (Del Obispo, Doheny Village area) will be voting in the upcoming 2018 elections. Voters within these designated districts will elect one City Council member who must also reside in, and be a registered voter of, that specific district. Currently, there are 3 candidates in District 1, 2 candidates in District 2 and 3 candidates in District 3.  District 1 will vote for the candidates running to represent District 1, the same goes for Districts 2 and 3. There is no cross-district voting.

Districts 4 and 5, the Lantern District and Capistrano Beach respectively, will have their first by-district election vote in November of 2020.

Getting involved in local elections is important, as the results directly affect your community. It’s your right to vote, and we encourage everyone in Dana Point to express their opinion. You can even make it a family affair and teach your kids about the process, so when they are older, they will know the importance of voting. The stickers are always a hit with the young ones.

Are you registered to vote? The Orange County Registrar of Voters has a great online tool to verify your registration. Click here to verify that you are registered to vote. If you are not registered to vote, or you need to change your voter registration information, the Orange County Registrar also makes that easy to do online. Click here to register to vote or to change your name, address or party affiliation of your voter registration.

If you don’t know what district you belong to, the map can be found on the City’s website. Voting for the 2018 election will be on Tuesday,  November 6th. Registered voters from Districts 1, 2 and 3 can place their vote at any local polling place. Polling places are coordinated by county elections offices. Your polling place will be listed on the back cover of your county sample ballot booklet. Additionally, you can search for the one nearest you here.

Still unclear what districting is? Check out the video below for districting made simple brought to you by your City Manager, Mark Denny and Deputy City Clerk, Bobby Ogan.

Stay connected on the City of Dana Point Facebook and Twitter for more information on the elections as they near.