November 4, 2025, Uniform District Election, Campaign Guide: Candidate Statements

Introduction

Candidates running for special district offices have the option of submitting a paid 200-word Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) to be printed in the County Voter Information Guide (VIG). SOQs give candidates the opportunity to tell voters about their background, education, and qualifications for office.

SOQs cannot reference the qualifications, activities, or character of other candidates. In addition, they must be accompanied by a declaration signed under penalty of perjury stating that the information contained in the SOQ is true and correct.

Payment

SOQ cost range estimates are listed in the "SOQ Cost" column in the Offices Up for Election chapter earlier in this Guide. The estimates are based on the printer's price list, set-up fees, and the number of registered voters within the jurisdiction. The "cost per SOQ" for an office is typically lower when two or more candidates submit SOQs because some expenses can be shared.

Before nominations open, special district boards must decide whether candidates or the district will be responsible for covering SOQ costs (see "SOQ -- Who Pays?" column in the Offices Up for Election chapter earlier in this Guide).

In special districts that have decided candidates will be responsible for covering SOQ costs, candidates typically write out a check to the district in an amount "not to exceed" the top of the SOQ cost range (Elections Code § 13307(d)). In exchange, the special district issues the candidate a receipt. The candidate must present the receipt at the Sonoma County Registrar of Voters (ROV) Office in order to submit an SOQ. The check itself is held by the special district until after the election. Once the district receives a detailed SOQ bill from the County, they can cash the check and/or refund the candidate for any overpayment.

In special districts that have decided the district will be responsible for covering SOQ costs, candidates can skip this “Payment” section and go directly to the "Filing the Statement" section.

Filing

Candidates who reside in Sonoma County must submit their SOQs using Sonoma County's official SOQ form, available in the Sonoma County ROV Office or on the Candidate Filing page of the Sonoma County ROV website at SoCoVotes.com. A paper copy of the form containing the candidate's wet signature is required.* It is okay to print the statement itself on a separate sheet and then attach it to the official SOQ form (provided no pertinent information is covered by the attachment). The SOQ form must be submitted at the same time as nomination papers. If a candidate decides they want to submit an SOQ after they have completed the nomination process, they must withdraw their candidacy and start again.

Formatting Rules

• The body of the SOQ (not including name, age, and occupation) shall not exceed 200 words. See word counting guidelines below.
• If age and/or occupation are left blank, none will be printed.
• Occupation is not restricted by ballot designation rules; however, long occupations exceeding one line will be shortened.
• SOQs must be written in the first person (e.g., "I am running..." not "She is running..." or "Jane Doe is running...").
• SOQs should be typewritten single-spaced in block paragraph style (spacing between paragraphs but no indentations).
• Words in ALL CAPITALS, italics, underlines, boldface type, **stars**, exclamations!!!, dots…, etc., are prohibited.
• Lists and enumerations will be wrapped as a single paragraph.
• Multiple single sentence paragraphs that do not fit in the space provided will be wrapped as a single paragraph.
• SOQs will be printed in random alphabet order unless repositioned due to space considerations. Statements do not rotate.

Word Counting Rules

Words shall be counted pursuant to California Elections Code § 9. Some basic word counting rules are as follows:

• Punctuation is not counted.
• Each word shall be counted as one word except as specified.
• All proper nouns, including geographical names shall be counted as one word (e.g., "City and County of San Francisco" or "Rincon Valley Union School District" shall be counted as one word).
• Each abbreviation for a word, phrase, or expression shall be counted as one word (e.g., S.R.J.C.).
• Hyphenated words that appear in any generally available standard reference dictionary published in the United States shall be counted as one word. Each part of all other hyphenated words shall be counted as a separate word.
• Dates shall be counted as one word.
• Digital numbers shall be counted as one word (e.g., 100). Numbers which are written out are counted as one word each (e.g., "one" shall be counted as one word and "one hundred" shall be counted as two words).
• Telephone numbers shall be counted as one word.
• Internet website addresses shall be counted as one word.

After Filing

SOQs shall remain confidential until the expiration of the filing deadline for nomination papers for the office. At that point, SOQs become available for public examination in the Sonoma County ROV Office for 10 calendar days following the close of filing. During this period, any voter of the jurisdiction in which the election is to be held, or the county elections official, may seek a writ of mandate or an injunction requiring any or all of the material in the SOQ to be amended or deleted. Venue for such a proceeding shall be the county in which the SOQ is filed. If the SOQ is filed in more than one county, the writ or injunction must be sought in each county in which amendments or deletions to the SOQ become subject to examination and challenge.

Sample Statement (School District Governing Board)

▶ As Submitted

▶ As Typeset and Printed