University City should be a hotbed of campaigning this election season, and I have created a colorful map to help explain why.
Four of the biggest local elections this November will land on the ballots of San Diegans who live north of Interstate 8. But only University City residents can vote on all four.
The four elections are (with links to previous coverage):
City Council District 1: Republican Ray Ellis is campaigning to unseat Democratic Councilwoman Sherri Lightner. The outcome will determine partisan control of the City Council.
52nd Congressional District: Democrat Scott Peters is campaigning to unseat Republican Congressman Brian Bilbray. The election is widely viewed as one of the Democratic Party’s best chances in the country to pick up a seat in the House of Representatives. Polls have shown a close race.
County Supervisor District 3: The same five Republicans have controlled county government since 1996, but that will change next year. Either Republican Steve Danon or Democrat Dave Roberts will succeed Pam Slater-Price, who decided not to seek another term.
San Diego Unified School Board District A: Businessman Mark Powell is campaigning to unseat school board President John Lee Evans, who has steered the district through a tumultuous year of near-layoffs, teacher concessions and worries about insolvency.
Residents from across the school district can vote on the race – and the other school board seats. But the winner will specifically represent an area that stretches from Clairemont to University City and then to Mira Mesa.
The map above illustrates how these four districts overlap. The boundaries look a little different than a couple of years ago. That’s because some districts were adjusted to account for shifts in population over the previous decade.
Under the new boundaries, only University City residents can vote in all four elections. La Jollans, for instance, can vote on the council, school board and congressional races, but not the county supervisor.
For a full list of the elections this November, click here. To see our latest coverage of the elections, including the mayor’s race and more school board races, click here.
Correction: Previous versions of this story and the accompanying graphic incorrectly described the school board race as a district-only election. We apologize for the error.
Keegan Kyle is a news reporter for Voice of San Diego. He writes about local government, creates infographics and handles the Fact Check Blog. What should he write about next?
Please contact him directly at keegan.kyle@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5668. You can also find him on Twitter (@keegankyle) and Facebook.
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