Here’s why this Henderson City Council election will be different

Ballots will be mailed to residents of Henderson’s Ward 1 this week for the special election to fill a City Council seat left vacant when former Councilwoman Michelle Romero was elected mayor.

The City Council had two options to fill the vacancy: Appoint a new council member or hold a special election. On Jan 3, the council voted to hold a special election.

Only residents of Ward 1 will be able to vote in the election as a result of a ballot measure approved last November. Citizens will be able to find out if they live in Ward 1 by receiving a ballot in the mail or entering their address on the city’s website.

This will be Henderson’s first special election to fill a ward vacancy on the City Council, according to City Clerk Jose Luis Valdez. He also said this will be the city’s first ward-based election and first special election with mail-in ballots.

Voters can mail their ballots to the return address listed on the envelope or drop them off at the city clerk’s office in Henderson City Hall, 240 S. Water St., Monday through Thursday. They can drop ballots off from Monday until election day April 3.

Early voting will be held in person at City Hall from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. March 28 to March 30. Voters can also vote from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 3 at City Hall. (The election has been set for a Monday, rather than the traditional Tuesday.)

Valdez encouraged Ward 1 residents to register to vote before the election. Registration can be done online, over the phone by calling the city clerk’s office or in person at the clerk’s office if residents have a valid form of Nevada identification. Valdez said voters can also register in person during early voting or on the day of the election.

Results of in-person voting and mail ballots received before election day will be released after the polls close on April 3, although mail ballots postmarked by election day and received by April 7 will still be counted and could change the results. The City Council will canvass the vote on April 13, and the winner of the election will be sworn in on April 18, according to Valdez.

There are seven candidates running in the election: Aaron Johnson, Ali Nilson, Alex Kleytman, Eddie Hamilton, Jim Seebock, Melissa Woodbury and Tim Cox.

Valdez called for residents of Ward 1 to vote and encourage others in the ward to follow suit.

“I encourage everyone who lives in Ward 1 to talk to their family, their friends and their neighbors. Tell them to come out and vote in this historic election,” he said.

Contact Mark Credico at mcredico@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarkCredicoII.