Council certifies election results and hears public calls to move municipal elections to November

Lancaster’s City Council certified the April 14 municipal election results and administered the oath of office to newly elected council members Cedric White and Rocio Castellanos.

City election staff presented the certified canvas, reporting total vote-by-mail returns of 9,114 and a voter turnout of approximately 9.27 percent from roughly 97,959 registered voters. The clerk and council moved to adopt the resolution certifying the results (moved and seconded on the floor as referenced in the record) and the motion passed unanimously. Cedric White and Rocio Castellanos were sworn in; Castellanos’ swearing included a Spanish-language oath.

During public comment, multiple speakers urged the council to move Lancaster’s municipal elections to November to increase turnout and to disclose the full cost of the recent election. One speaker—citing the city’s registered-voter count—estimated postage for mailing ballots to every registered voter at about $89,000 (an estimate on record that excluded printing, staffing and county costs). Another visiting elected official from Burbank said that when his city moved elections from April to November turnout rose from about 11 percent to about 70 percent, and he urged the council to request a detailed cost report from the city clerk.

Council members acknowledged the request but stressed the need for an objective analysis before changing election timing. The mayor said he would not oppose discussing it further but asked for a nonpartisan analysis of implications including costs and outcomes. The transcript records multiple calls for transparency and for the clerk to publish a detailed report on election expenses.

The meeting closed with the mayor announcing the next council meeting date and adjourning.