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City of Carlsbad · Statewide General Election

Carlsbad City Clerk

Draft candidate list — early preview until the state’s official list publishes on August 27, 2026.

This is one contest. Enter your address to see every race on your November ballot, and keep track of your picks.

On the ballot

This person is Carlsbad's elections official and the custodian of the city's public records -- agendas, minutes, contracts, and campaign-disclosure filings. A 4-year term.

Only one candidate qualified for City Clerk. Incumbent Sherry Freisinger appears unopposed for a second term -- so this contest is settled and your vote here does not change the outcome.

Carlsbad's City Clerk is the city's elections official and the custodian of its public records -- agendas, minutes, contracts, and campaign-disclosure filings. A 4-year term, separately elected from the mayor and council.

With no opponent, the useful question is not who to choose but what the officeholder has done and what to watch next. An unopposed return means accountability for this office over the next four years runs through public records requests and City Council relations rather than through the ballot.

Sherry Freisinger

The incumbent, a certified municipal clerk who retired from the city and later returned as a part-time Clerk Services employee before her 2022 election as City Clerk. Sole qualified candidate for a second term.

Strengths

Career experience inside Carlsbad's own Clerk Services office before taking the elected role, on top of a professional municipal-clerk certification.

Trade-offs

Running unopposed means her record faces no organized counter-argument this cycle.

Keep in mind

No independent biography or news profile beyond the city's own page and the two Coast News roundups was found for her in this pass -- her record here rests on official sources plus that outside corroboration, not a deeper independent profile.

Source review: Very strong (91/100) · 5 cited sources

Official records anchor this contest, with multiple sources checked.

  • sdvote.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego County Registrar of Voters -- Candidate List, November 3, 2026 General Election (current through the 8/24/2026 2:44pm snapshot): confirms Mayor, City Council Districts 1 and 3, City Clerk, and City Treasurer as Carlsbad's five November 2026 races, and Mayor plus City Council Districts 1 and 3 as Poway's three November 2026 races, each Vote for 1
  • carlsbadca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Carlsbad -- City Council page: an elected mayor plus four district-elected council members, each a 4-year term; names Mayor Keith Blackburn, Mayor Pro Tem Priya Bhat-Patel (District 3), and Council Member Melanie Burkholder (District 1); confirms the Mayor is elected citywide and Council members by district, and that the City Clerk and City Treasurer are also separately elected
  • carlsbadca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Carlsbad -- Clerk Services / Election Information page: names City Clerk Sherry Freisinger and states the City Clerk serves an elected 4-year term
  • thecoastnews.com (opens in a new tab)The Coast News Group -- "Election 2026: A guide to North County races" (Carlsbad City Council section): names all nine qualified candidates across Mayor, Districts 1 and 3, Treasurer, and confirms City Clerk Sherry Freisinger is running unopposed, current as of the Aug. 7, 2026 filing deadline
  • sandiegouniontribune.com (opens in a new tab)San Diego Union-Tribune (Phil Diehl) -- "Carlsbad's mayor, 2 council seats, treasurer and clerk on the ballot in November": independently confirms five incumbents on the ballot against a small field of challengers and reports Blackburn's re-election campaign raised $42,673; the full article is paywalled beyond its opening paragraphs as retrieved

Last updated August 31, 2026.