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 mayorplus 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
carlsbadca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Carlsbad -- Council Member Melanie Burkholder (official biography): a former U.S. Secret Service special agent and mental-health counselor who owns a Carlsbad counseling practice
records.carlsbadca.gov (opens in a new tab)City of Carlsbad -- "Declaring the Results of the Nov. 8, 2022, Municipal Election" (official City Council record): Melanie Burkholder elected City Council Member District No. 1 for a four-year term; Priya Bhat-Patel elected City Council Member District No. 3 for a four-year term
ballotpedia.org (opens in a new tab)Ballotpedia -- Melanie Burkholder: ran as the Republican nominee for California State Assembly District 76 in 2020, losing the Nov. 3, 2020 general election to incumbent Tasha Boerner Horvath (D), 55.6% to 44.4%, certified results
cal-access.sos.ca.gov (opens in a new tab)California Secretary of State CAL-ACCESS -- filer search: an ACTIVE "Larson for Carlsbad City Council 2026" committee for Nate Larson; Melanie Burkholder's own candidate record carries no ACTIVE 2026 committee, only a terminated 2016 council committee

Last updated September 7, 2026.

City of Carlsbad

Carlsbad City Council, District 1

This person holds your district's seat on Carlsbad's 4-member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use, alongside the citywide-elected mayor. The term is four years.

Incumbent Melanie Burkholder faces challenger Nate Larson for Carlsbad City Council District 1. Whoever gets the most votes on November 3 wins, with no runoff.

This person holds District 1's seat on Carlsbad's 4-member City Council, alongside the citywide-elected mayor. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land-use decisions. The term is four years.

Burkholder is campaigning on continuity and constituent access, arguing District 1 has churned through several representatives over the past decade and that consistency has value in itself. Larson, a first-time candidate, brings a different kind of local-institution experience -- education and civic-arts volunteer work rather than public safety or corporate careers.

Melanie Burkholder

Melanie Burkholder is the incumbent, elected to District 1 on Nov. 8, 2022. Her priorities are public safety, mental health, homelessness, and economic growth. She lost a 2020 Assembly race to Tasha Boerner Horvath, 55.6% to 44.4%.

Nate Larson

Nate Larson is a local educator and youth theater producer. They have served on the city's Barrio Public Art Subcommittee. They are a first-time candidate for elected office.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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