Los Angeles City Clerk, EmpowerLA brief Region 2 on 2025 neighborhood council candidate filing, vote-by-mail and outreach

Los Angeles City Clerk election staff and EmpowerLA held a Region 2 briefing to explain procedures and outreach for the 2025 neighborhood council elections, including candidate filing, vote-by-mail timelines and resources for candidates and voters.

The presentation, led by Michael Electrich of the City Clerk Election Division and Marie Lu Guevara of EmpowerLA, reviewed how neighborhood council bylaws and each council’s Ballot Voting Model determine ballot types, who may run and who may vote. Electrich said the candidate filing window for Region 2 runs Jan. 17 through March 3, and the vote-by-mail registration window runs March 21 through May 12; ballot mailing is scheduled to begin April 15, and Election Day is May 20, 2025.

Why it matters: the briefing spelled out the documentation and timing that determine who appears on ballots and which ballots a stakeholder receives. That affects eligibility for multiple board seats, local outreach plans and logistical deadlines for vote-by-mail packets and ballot drop boxes.

City Clerk: bylaws, Ballot Voting Models and candidate certification

Electrich walked attendees through the parts of neighborhood council bylaws the office uses to build each election — Article 3 (boundaries), Article 4 (stakeholder definitions), Article 5 (governing board) and Article 10 (election specifics), plus Attachment A (map) and Attachment B (board structure). He summarized the four stakeholder types used across councils: live (residents), work (employees/service providers), own property (property owners) and community interest (participants in a nonprofit with a continuous physical address in the council area for at least one year). “I do want to just note that citizenship is not required for these stakeholder types,” Electrich said.

City staff described the Ballot Voting Model (BVM) that lists ballot types (one council may have as many as 21 different ballots), how many ballots each stakeholder may receive, which seats are elected versus appointed, term lengths (two- or four-year seats) and voting ages (16 and older for most seats; some youth seats permit ages 14–15). Candidate filing in Region 2 is open for 45 calendar days; candidates may apply via the Neighborhood Council portal or by paper application. Electrich said all candidates must provide documentation (photo ID, proof of age and proof of stakeholder status); the office will certify candidates, delete documentation after certification, and publish a certified candidate list after the challenge and withdrawal periods end.

Candidate application details and online portal

The office demoed the candidate filing portal and the paper application. Applicants may choose the ballot name shown on the ballot (the ballot name need not be a legal name), may upload a candidate photo and a statement (both go through an office approval step before posting), and may edit their statement up to a 1,000-character limit. Electrich explained a candidate can submit the initial application by the filing deadline and then has three calendar days after that deadline to provide required documentation. Candidate photos and statements appear on the clerk’s candidate website in the same order as the ballot.

Vote-by-mail process, verification and deadlines

Electrich outlined the all vote-by-mail model for 2025: voters must submit a vote-by-mail application every election so the office can assign the correct ballot(s) based on stakeholder type. The Region 2 vote-by-mail application period is March 21–May 12; ballot mailing begins April 15; the office extended the application-period end date by one day so it now ends on a Monday. Ballots may be returned by prepaid USPS envelope, drop box at designated library and Rec & Park locations, or returned directly to the City Clerk’s office. Ballots postmarked by Election Day (May 20) and received by May 30 will be included in the tally. Electrich explained two verification paths used for voters: self-affirmation (applicant attests to identity, age and stakeholder status) and documentation (photo ID, proof of age and proof of stakeholder status). He also described paper applications with an “authorized agent” section that lets a collector return multiple applications on behalf of others.

EmpowerLA outreach and engagement supports

Marie Lu Guevara, EmpowerLA’s director of awareness and engagement, described outreach pillars to boost candidate and voter participation: messaging and communications, grassroots outreach, partnerships with city and community organizations, candidate and voter engagement, and advertising. EmpowerLA will distribute a social press kit with regional assets, produce tailored PDF flyers for each neighborhood council on filing day, provide translated paper applications and door hangers, coordinate ballot box locations with LA Public Library and Recreation and Parks branches, and run targeted canvassing and faith-based outreach. Guevara said the department is piloting texting outreach in coordination with the Mayor’s Office to supplement email and organic outreach. “Our vision is to have a successful neighborhood council election cycle,” Guevara said, tying outreach work to longer-term efforts to increase civic engagement and board capacity.

Concerns from participants and follow-up commitments

Several meeting participants raised concerns about timing and distribution of outreach materials. Gary, a participant and local board member, said the schedule felt late for mailers and asked for materials to be delivered to his board meeting the following week so the council could approve distribution. City and EmpowerLA staff agreed to follow up with Neighborhood Empowerment Advocates to expedite deliveries where possible and to email region-specific packets and recordings to registrants.

Where to find resources

The City Clerk and EmpowerLA pointed attendees to the Neighborhood Council candidate and portal pages (short links used in the presentation include clerk.lacity.gov/nccandidate and clerk.lacity.gov/ncportal) and said they will email slides and a link to the recording to registrants. Election administrators assigned to Region 2 will send periodic filing and vote-by-mail statistics to neighborhood councils during candidate filing and the vote-by-mail period.

Ending

City Clerk election staff and EmpowerLA encouraged boards and residents to use the portal or paper applications, to contact their Region 2 election administrator with questions, and to expect outreach packets and additional dates and event information before candidate filing opens.