This story was updated to correct the link to the city’s council district map.
On June 2, Richmond voters will cast their ballots in the city’s first-ever primary election. We wanted to give voters a chance to prepare for this important election by asking questions and hearing from the candidates directly.
Richmondside is partnering with Richmond Confidential, a publication of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and The Advocate, the student-led newspaper at Contra Costa College, to co-host and moderate three election forums. Next up: The city council forums for the contested races, Districts 3 and 4, will be held May 7 and May 13, respectively. (The mayoral forum was April 22. You can watch a recording of it.)
Candidates will briefly present their platforms and take questions from local journalists and audience members. The forums are free and open to all. Spanish interpretation will be available on site, upon request. The forums will also be live-streamed on richmondside.org.
Have questions for the candidates? We want to hear from you
If you have questions for the candidates please use the form below to share them. We’ll review the questions and ask some of them at the events. Unsure which council district you live in? Check the city’s district map.
District 3 questions
District 4 questions
How does the primary election work?
For the primary election, only the top two vote-getters in races where no one wins a majority will advance to a run-off in the November general election. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the votes in the primary, they will win and that race won’t be on the general election ballot.
There are two candidates competing in District 3 (Doria Robinson and Brandon Evans). In District 4, Soheila Bana is defending her seat against Jamin Pursell and Keycha Gallon. (District 2 incumbent candidate Cesar Zepeda is running unopposed, so will win by default.) There could still be write-in candidates for any of the races, and the filing period for that ends on May 19.
More election info and resources
Get full coverage of the June 2 primary election with Richmondside’s 2026 Voter Guide.
Key dates: Mail-in ballots will be sent around May 4. The last day to register to vote is May 18. The election is June 2.
Learn more: Visit the city’s election page for additional details and to read candidate statements. Unsure which council district you live in? Check the city’s district map.
We look forward to seeing you at these events and to helping you learn more about who is competing to represent you at City Hall.
the link to the district map is broken
Thanks for letting us know. Here is the correct link: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/59a7bd37246744f498b546ecf9e4f28b