Where did all the Sonoma County school board candidates go? Here's why you won't see many on the 2026 ballot

This fall, 49 of 65 possible Sonoma County school board contests will not appear on the ballot because races were left off ballots sent next month—either there was no opposition or too few candidates filed for the number of seats available. The November election will include 16 contested races across the county, including trustee seats at Santa Rosa Junior College, the county Board of Education, and the Calistoga Joint Unified district. In 39 instances, filed candidate numbers matched open seats, preventing elections and saving costs. In 10 additional cases, too few or no candidates filed. Elections manager Kamari Marchbanks said California election code bars contests from appearing when seats and candidates match, with exceptions involving ballot measures.