November 4, 2025, Uniform District Election, Campaign Guide: Candidate Statements

Introduction

Candidates running for local offices have the option of submitting a paid 200-word Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) to be printed in the County Voter Information Guide (VIG). SOQs give candidates a unique opportunity to inform voters of their background, education, and qualifications for office. SOQs cannot reference the qualifications, character, or activities of another candidate. In addition, they must be accompanied by a declaration signed under penalty of perjury declaring that the information contained in the SOQ is true and correct.

Payment

SOQ cost range estimates are listed in the "SOQ Cost" column in the Offices Up for Election chapter of this Guide. Estimates are based on the printer's price list, set-up fees, and the number of registered voters within the jurisdiction. The cost per statement is usually highest when only one candidate for an office submits an SOQ because some costs are shared when two or more candidates for an office submit SOQs.

Before nominations open, special district boards must decide whether candidates or the district itself will be responsible for covering SOQ costs (see "SOQ -- Who Pays?" column in the Offices Up for Election chapter of this Guide).

• In districts where candidates are responsible for SOQ costs, candidates must typically write out a check to the district in an amount “not to exceed” the highest possible SOQ cost (Elections Code § 13307(d)). In exchange, the district provides the candidate with a receipt that the candidate must present to the Registrar of Voters (ROV) Office. Check with the district for specific procedures. Checks are held by the district until after the election when the ROV Office bills the district and provides a detailed breakdown of the final SOQ costs. At that point, districts will cash the checks or refund any overpayment.
• In districts where the board has decided to cover SOQ costs, candidates can skip the payment step entirely.

Filing

Candidates who reside in Sonoma County must submit their SOQ with Sonoma County's official form, available here. A paper copy of the form containing the candidate's wet signature is required.* It is okay to print the SOQ on a separate sheet and then attach it to the official form with tape, provided no pertinent information is covered by the attachment. The SOQ and form must be submitted at the same time as nomination papers. If a candidate decides that they want to submit an SOQ after they have completed the nomination process, they must withdraw their candidacy and start again.

*While SOQ forms can initially be filed electronically (send by email to rov-candidate@sonoma-county.org) within 72 hours (overnight mail) the ROV Office must receive a paper copy of the form that includes a wet signature.

Formatting Rules

• The body of the SOQ (not including name, age, and occupation) shall not exceed 200 words. See word counting guidelines below.
• If age and/or occupation are left blank, none will be printed.
• Occupation is not restricted by ballot designation rules; however, long occupations exceeding one line will be shortened.
• SOQs must be written in the first person (e.g., "I am running..." not "She is running..." or "Jane Doe is running...").
• SOQs should be typewritten single-spaced in block paragraph style (spacing between paragraphs but no indentations).
• Words in ALL CAPITALS, italics, underlines, boldface type, **stars**, exclamations!!!, dots…, etc., are prohibited.
• Lists and enumerations will be wrapped as a single paragraph.
• Multiple single sentence paragraphs that do not fit in the space provided will be wrapped as a single paragraph.
• SOQs will be printed in random alphabet order unless repositioned due to space considerations. Statements do not rotate.

Word Counting Rules

Words shall be counted pursuant to California Elections Code § 9. Some basic word counting rules are as follows:

• Punctuation is not counted.
• Each word shall be counted as one word except as specified.
• All proper nouns, including geographical names shall be counted as one word (e.g., "City and County of San Francisco" or "Rincon Valley Union School District" shall be counted as one word).
• Each abbreviation for a word, phrase, or expression shall be counted as one word (e.g., S.R.J.C.).
• Hyphenated words that appear in any generally available standard reference dictionary published in the United States shall be counted as one word. Each part of all other hyphenated words shall be counted as a separate word.
• Dates shall be counted as one word.
• Digital numbers shall be counted as one word (e.g., 100). Numbers which are written out are counted as one word each (e.g., "one" shall be counted as one word and "one hundred" shall be counted as two words).
• Telephone numbers shall be counted as one word.
• Internet website addresses shall be counted as one word.

After Filing

Statements shall remain confidential until the expiration of the filing deadline for nomination papers for the office. At that point statements become available for public examination in the county elections official’s office for 10 calendar days following the close of filing. During this period, any voter of the jurisdiction in which the election is to be held, or the county elections official, may seek a writ of mandate or an injunction requiring any or all of the material in the statement to be amended or deleted. Venue for such a proceeding shall be the county in which the statement is filed. If the statement is filed in more than one county, the writ or injunction must be sought in each county in which amendments or deletions to the statement become subject to examination and challenge.

Sample Statement (School District Governing Board)

▶ As Submitted

▶ As Typeset and Printed