People hoping to run for the vacant District 1 seat on the County Board of Supervisors have a narrow window to get on the ballot during a one-week nomination period that began Tuesday. Voters will decide in a special election who will succeed Nora Vargas, who announced last month that she would not serve the second term to which she had just been elected. The election is slated for April 8, with a possible runoff July 1 if no candidate earns a majority of votes. With the election less than three months away, would-be candidates face a condensed timeline to make their race official. But the nomination period for potential candidates has been less publicized than other important special election dates. Anyone interested in running can now pull nomination papers and must return them to the registrar of voters by 5 p.m. next Tuesday, Jan. 28. To qualify for the ballot, a candidate must be a U.S. citizen who has been registered to vote in District 1 for at least 30 days before the filing deadline and must live in the district while in office, according to guidelines published online. District 1 includes Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City, several south San Diego neighborhoods and five unincorporated communities, such as Bonita and Lincoln Acres. The filing fee to run is $2,202.54, and candidates must also include 20 to 40 nomination signatures. Candidates also had a short window to submit additional signatures to cover all or a pro-rated portion of the filing fee that began the day after the board’s vote for the election and closed Friday. There is also an optional $3,502 fee for candidates to place a 200-word statement of qualifications describing their background and experience on the ballot pamphlet. That’s also due Tuesday. The public will then get to review candidate statements and ballot designations at the county election office in Kearny Mesa from Jan. 29 through Feb. 7 before election materials are finalized and mailed to registered voters in the district. Voter information pamphlets will be sent to the more than 376,000 registered voters in District 1 beginning on Feb. 27. Mail ballots will then go out the week of March 10, with official ballot drop boxes opening the following day. 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 no one 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 about the District 1 special election at sdvote.com. They can also call 858-565-5800 or toll-free at 800-696-0136.