Voters will decide who will succeed Nora Vargas and fill the vacancy she left on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in District 1, the remaining county supervisors decided unanimously Tuesday, agreeing with the nearly two dozen speakers who overwhelmingly urged them to do so. The special election will determine who will represent the more than 630,000 residents in the South County district that Vargas vacated last week, weeks after announcing she would not serve the second term to which she’d just been elected. The board had the option to hold a special election, appoint a replacement or appoint an interim supervisor to serve until an election takes place. After hearing from 21 speakers — all but one of whom urged an election — all four remaining supervisors swiftly agreed and voted unanimously to hold a primary election on April 8, with a July 1 runoff if no candidate wins a majority in the primary. “The residents of District 1 deserve an opportunity to elect their next representative,” said Supervisor Jim Desmond, acknowledging that the board had recently been in the same position — when Nathan Fletcher resigned from the board less than two years ago amid sexual misconduct allegations. Staging an election will cost the county between $5.8 million and $6.6 million if a runoff is needed, county staff said. Those costs could have been slightly lower if the election were conducted wholly by mail, but the board chose to use a combination of in-person and mail voting. That could be a big blow as the county faces a $138.5 million budget deficit for the next fiscal year, but supervisors said the price of democracy is invaluable. “It is important for those folks to choose who will represent them on this dais and who will make decisions that will impact their quality of life for years to come,” said Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, who was herself elected in a special election in 2023. About half a dozen public speakers also encouraged the board to appoint a supervisor in the interim. While the supervisors agreed that leaving the seat open for four to seven months during an election would be difficult, they decided it would be more problematic to fill it and opted to leave it vacant until a successor is chosen. That means District 1 will be left without a voice on key issues as Donald Trump again takes office as president and as the board faces tough financial decisions through the upcoming budget season. But supervisors pledged to keep conducting county business despite their even partisan split. The nomination process for the special election will begin almost immediately, with a nomination deadline of Jan. 28. Three Democrats — San Diego City Councilmember Vivian Moreno, Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and Chula Vista Councilmember Carolina Chavez — and one Republican, Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, have already said they are running. Only those who live in the district can vote in the election. District 1 includes Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City, several south San Diego neighborhoods and five unincorporated communities, such as Bonita and Lincoln Acres. Because special elections typically yield lower voter turnout, since they take place outside the general election cycle and often decide only one race, supervisors will likely consider whether more voter outreach is needed. Voter information pamphlets will be sent to the more than 376,000 registered voters in District 1 beginning on Feb. 27. Registered voters can expect to receive their mail ballots the week of March 10. A total of 26 ballot drop boxes around the district will open starting on March 11. Early in-person voting will also start March 10 at the county election office in Kearny Mesa and will be available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Starting March 29, seven vote centers will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Election Day, April 8, when a total of 13 vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If any candidate wins at least 50% of the vote in the April 8 election, they could be sworn in as soon as results are certified, which must be no later than May 8. But if nobody wins a majority outright, the top two vote-getters will move on to a runoff set for July 1. The newly elected supervisor would then be sworn in by August. Voters can learn more at sdvote.com. They can also call 858-565-5800 or toll-free at 800-696-0136.