Part of gearing up for elections is knowing what to expect – and when. Here is a quick overview of important dates and details leading up to the Sacramento City Council elections in June.

Who’s running?
For 2012, the races are for council districts 2, 4, 6 and 8 and mayor.

All people interested in running for office in districts 6 and 8 have until Thursday Friday to turn in their candidacy forms to the city clerk’s office. The city clerk's business hours are Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and closed Fridays.

Candidates for districts 2 and 4 have until March 14 to turn in their forms because the incumbents for those districts – Sandy Sheedy for District 2 and Rob Fong for District 4 – have announced they will not seek re-election.

Friday is also the deadline to file all resolutions, measures or initiatives with the county elections clerk.

What about the money?
According to the County Elections Office, every candidate must file a financial statement disclosing investments, property and any income received during the immediately preceding 12 months.

For the June primaries, the deadline to file all financial disclosures is Friday.

In addition to the initial financial statements, candidates must submit campaign disclosure statements to the city clerk.

Campaign disclosure statements give detailed reporting of all campaign spending and contributions received. The disclosures must be made twice before the election: March 22 and May 24.

Campaign donation disclosure is the responsibility of the candidates and their committees, not the donors.

Getting ready to vote
Registering to vote requires completing a one-page form, which can be found at any Department of Motor Vehicles office or any post office or online HERE.

The last day for voters to register to vote in the June 5 primary election is May 21.

Some voters prefer to vote by mail instead of heading to the polls on election day. The first day that vote-by-mail voting is allowed is May 7, and mail-in ballots can be sent to the elections office until the polls close on election day.

Voters who want to mail in their ballots have until May 29 to request a vote-by-mail ballot from the county elections clerk.

Election rules allow the elections clerk to begin processing mail-in ballots as early as May 25.

Sample ballots are mailed to registered voters between April 26 and May 15.

See you at the polls!
Election Day is June 5, and polls open at 7 a.m. Designated polling places are listed on the back of each voter’s sample ballot, or voters can contact the County Office of Elections to find their designated polling places.

Polls close at 8 p.m. on election day.

The Sacramento Press will have team coverage of the June primary elections, and members of the community are encouraged to join the conversation as election night progresses.

TIMELINE:
March 8 9 – Candidacy paper deadline (districts 6 and 8 and mayor)
March 8 9 – Deadline to file candidate financial statement
March 14 – Candidacy paper deadline (districts 2 and 4)
March 22 – Candidates’ first campaign disclosure statement due
April 16 – Sample ballots sent to registered voters
May 7 – First day to vote by mail
May 21 – Last day to register to vote for June primaries
May 24 – Candidates’ second campaign disclosure statement due
May 25 – Election clerk starts processing mail-in ballots
May 29 – Last day to request a vote-by-mail ballot
June 5 – Election day. Polls close at 8 p.m.

Editorial Note: Corrections were made to this article after it was published. The incorrect information was struck out and the correct information added.