Early voting begins for Santa Clara County assessor’s race

Santa Clara County voters can walk into 19 different vote centers and select their next chief property taxer starting Saturday.

A total of 38 centers will be available throughout the county for the Dec. 30 county assessor runoff election between Los Altos Vice Mayor Neysa Fligor and former Saratoga Councilmember Rishi Kumar. The remaining 19 will open Dec. 27. The centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — or 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for select locations — including weekends and Christmas. All locations will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.

It comes after Fligor took the most votes in the Nov. 4 special election — but not enough to win outright. Whoever wins the runoff will oversee a $700 billion assessment roll and 500,000 property owners. Fligor’s campaign has fundraised $420,000 this year alone, according to campaign finance filings. Kumar has raised $35,000, with much of that money coming after the November election, campaign finance records show.

There’s palpable concern that turnout will plummet this time, as the holidays will force voters to balance their civic duty with familial gatherings and traveling. Turnout in the Nov. 4 special election was 51%, as droves of voters showed up to support the statewide Proposition 50, which allows California to redraw congressional districts in favor of Democrats in response to Republican redistricting in Texas.

“We strive to make voting as easy and convenient as possible,” Matt Moreles, the county-appointed Registrar of Voters, said in a statement on Saturday’s vote center openings. “Our courteous staff are excited to provide voters with a multitude of services, including registering to vote, voting assistance in 14 languages, and assisting voters with disabilities.”

Voters can also cast their ballot by mail, or drop their mail-in ballot at a vote center or any of the county’s 109 official drop boxes which are open 24 hours a day, and on Election Day until 8 p.m. Voters can look up their nearest drop box online. Those who missed the Dec. 15 voter registration deadline can register and vote at the same time by casting a provisional ballot.
The election could be consequential for the valley, whose property values are seeing their lowest growth in more than a decade due to economic uncertainty and stalled development.

Several significant projects have stalled due to high interest rates, surging construction cost and sinking demand for office space. This includes Google’s Downtown West project in San Jose, which was slated to begin in 2023 but remains in limbo. Meanwhile, surging vacancies, dropping rental rates, a shortage of big leasing deals and the continuation of hybrid and remote work have kept the office vacancy rate in Silicon Valley at roughly 20% for the past two years, according to the assessor’s office.

Contact Brandon Pho at [email protected] or @brandonphooo on X.