Tracking Local Candidates Just Got Easier

If you've ever tried to figure out who's running for city council in your district, or wondered which candidates have announced for county supervisor, you know the frustration. Official candidate lists often don't appear until weeks before an election, leaving political professionals, journalists, and engaged citizens scrambling to piece together information from scattered sources.

The Local Candidate Discovery Problem

Unlike federal or state races where candidate announcements get widespread coverage, local campaigns often fly under the radar. A candidate might announce their run for school board in a local newspaper, file paperwork with the county, or simply post on their campaign website—but there's rarely a central place to find this information early in the cycle.

For those who work in politics, advocacy, or journalism, getting an early read on the candidate landscape is crucial for planning and analysis. But the current system makes this unnecessarily difficult.

Our Solution: Automated Candidate Discovery

We've built a system that crawls the web across multiple sources to aggregate early candidate announcements for 2026 local elections. The system searches through:

- Campaign finance filings from California's Netfile system
- News articles and press releases announcing candidacies  
- City and county clerk websites with candidate information
- Campaign websites and social media where candidates declare their intentions

The system covers races for:
- City councils and mayors across California cities
- County supervisors in all 58 counties
- School board trustees for elementary, unified, and high school districts
- County-wide offices like District Attorney, Sheriff, and Assessor

As of today, we are currently tracking 416 local candidates for the 2026 cycle across the state.

For example, here is the current list of candidates for the City of Chula Vista:

How It Works

Our search system combines web crawling to identify candidates who have made public declarations about their 2026 campaigns. When we find a candidate, we track their sources so you can verify the information and learn more.

The system is designed to catch candidates early in the process—often months before they appear on official ballot lists.

Important Limitations

This is a research and discovery tool, not an official candidate roster. Our system can only find candidates who have made their intentions publicly available online and have reached a certain threshold of public visibility.

Some limitations to keep in mind:
- We can only find what's publicly available online
- Candidates must have explicitly declared their intention to run
- Late-entering candidates might not appear until closer to filing deadlines
- Rural or smaller jurisdictions may have less online presence to search

We include clear source attribution so you can verify information and do additional research.

Looking Ahead

As we get closer to the 2026 elections, we expect the system's accuracy to improve as more candidates announce and more information becomes available online. We'll be updating these candidate lists regularly throughout the election cycle.

Our goal isn't to replace official sources, but to make the early discovery process much easier for anyone trying to understand their local political landscape. Whether you're a voter researching your options, a journalist tracking races, or a political professional planning ahead, we hope this saves you hours of scattered web searches.

Think of it as a head start on understanding who might be on your ballot—with the understanding that the complete picture will emerge as we get closer to election day.