Municipal elections in Costa Mesa are held every two years. Beginning in 1982, the elections were consolidated with the statewide general elections. From 1954 to 2016, voters could select as many candidates as open positions, meaning the total vote count could exceed voter registration numbers. Following the passage of Measure EE in 2016, Costa Mesa moved from a system of electing either two or three councilmembers at-large every two years, to a seven member city council with a directly elected mayor, with a two-year term, and six city councilmembers with four year terms.

1947 Incorporation Election On March 25, 1947, a petition was presented to the Orange County Board of Supervisors to incorporate Costa Mesa as a city. Following a public hearing, an election was set to be held on October 7 to determine whether the city shall become incorporated and filling the offices of five city council members, one city clerk, and one city treasurer.

As the incorporation vote failed, no officer was elected.

1953 Incorporation Election At a special election, held on June 16, Costa Mesans voted to incorporate as a general law city. The election also polled whether a city manager form of government should be used and who would be elected to the inaugural city council.

1954 Municipal Election

The 1954 municipal election, held on April 13, was Costa Mesa's first election as a city. The voters would elect all five Costa Mesa City Council members, with the top two vote-getters receiving a four year term, and the following three a two year term. The City Council also approved placing Proposition 1 on the ballot, which asked voters whether councilmembers should receive fifty dollars ($50) per month. There were 1,759 ballots cast.

1954 Proposition 1 There were 1,690 total votes in the Proposition 1 election. The measure passed and was adopted, allowing councilmember compensation.

1956 Municipal Election The 1956 municipal election, held on April 10, was for three of the five members of the City Council. There were 2,087 ballots cast.

1956 Annexation Election

On July 2, 1956, the City Council announced its intention to call for a special election on whether to annex a portion of land known as "Mesa Annexation No. 2." The election was held on October 11, 1956. Electors were those within the annexation area. There were 119 total votes, with 70 in favor and 49 against.

1957 Special Water Bond Election

On September 24, 1957, the City held a special bond election to acquire and construct a water storage reservoir and other water-related infrastructure. Since the measure required a two-thirds vote to pass, it was declared to have failed.

As the territory of Mesa Annexation No. 2 had not been fully incorporated into the city at this point, the City Council also held a special public opinion poll within the zone. The result within the annexation area was 18 yes votes to 43 no votes.

1958 Municipal Election Following the resignation of Charles TeWinkle in December 1955, Arthur Meyers was unanimously appointed to serve the remainder of his term. Meyers ran for reelection as an incumbent.

The 1958 municipal election, held on April 8, was to elect two members of the City Council. There were 2,517 ballots cast.

1960 Municipal Election Following the resignation of Councilmember Bruce Martin on July 1, 1957, John Smith was unanimously appointed to fill the unexpired term. Smith would go on to run for reelection. The 1960 municipal election, held on April 12, was to elect three members of the City Council and to vote on two referendums. The Newport Harbor Union High School District consolidated a bond election to build a new high school with the city's general election. Due to the number of issues on the ballot, the City Council adopted a resolution urging participation in the election. There were 5,081 ballots cast.

1962 Municipal Election The 1962 municipal election, held on April 10, was to elect two members of the City Council. There were 4,209 ballots cast.

1964 Municipal Election The 1964 municipal election, held on April 14, was to elect three members of the City Council. The election was consolidated with that of the Costa Mesa Union School District. There were 7,860 ballots cast.

1966 Municipal Election Following the resignation of councilmember Joseph Tomchak on August 5, 1963, the Council appointed Willard Jordan to fill the remainder of the term on August 19 of that year. Jordan would run for reelection as an incumbent.

The 1966 municipal election, held on April 12, was to elect two members of the City Council. There were 5,868 ballots cast.

1968 Municipal Election The 1968 municipal election, held on April 9, was to elect three members of the City Council.

1970 Annexation Election On December 1, 1969, the City Council passed a resolution calling for a special election to annex a territory named "Back Bay No. 1 Annexation."

1970 Municipal Election The 1970 municipal election, held on April 14, was to elect two members of the City Council.

1971 Annexation Election On November 16, 1970, the City Council passed a resolution calling for a special election to annex a territory called "Marina View Annexation."

1972 Municipal Election The 1972 municipal election, held on April 11, was to elect three members of the City Council.

1973 Special Bond Election

The 1973 special bond election, held on September 11, was for voters to decide whether to approve two bonds related to park improvements. Proposition A was a $2.602 million dollar bond for the acquisition of park sites and open space. Proposition B was a $1.308 million dollar bond for the construction of park improvements and public recreational facilities. Both propositions passed by the required two-thirds vote, with Proposition A gaining 4,145 out of 5,826 votes and Proposition B gaining 4,009 out of 5,800 votes.

1974 Municipal Election The 1974 municipal election, held on March 5, was to elect two members of the City Council. Norma Hertzog was the first woman elected to the Costa Mesa City Council.

1976 Municipal Election The 1976 municipal election, held on March 2, was to elect three members of the City Council. There were 8,407 ballots cast.

1976 Special Referendum Election On March 1, the City Council passed Ordinance 76-11, which rezoned a parcel of land from single-family residential to commercial, by a 3-2 vote. A petition against the ordinance was signed by more than 10 percent of registered voters, causing a special election to be called. The referendum election was consolidated with the statewide general election that same year. The referendum failed and the ordinance was not adopted, receiving 10,231 votes in favor and 17,437 against.

1978 Municipal Election The 1978 municipal election, held on March 7, was to elect two members of the City Council and to vote on one initiative placed on the ballot by petition. There were 8,355 ballots cast.

1978 Initiative Ordinance The initiative was to zone all land bounded roughly by Bear Street, Sunflower Avenue, South Coast Drive, and Fairview Road as single-family residential. The initiative passed with 4,295 voting in favor and 3,901 against.

1980 Municipal Election Following the death of Vice Mayor Smallwood on October 7, 1978, Planning Commission Chairman Donn Hall was unanimously appointed to fill the vacancy and was an incumbent in the 1980 election.

The 1980 municipal election, held on April 8, was to elect three members of the City Council. There were 6,758 ballots cast.

1980 Measure J Election The Measure J Election, held on June 3, was an initiative to approve rental housing developments for elderly, handicapped, and low or moderate income persons. The election was held across unincorporated Orange County, with cities having the ability to opt-in by resolution, which Costa Mesa did by adoption Resolution 80-34. The election was consolidated with the Orange County primary election. The measure passed by a majority vote.

1982 Municipal Election On November 16, 1981, the City Council approved Ordinance 81-22, which consolidated all future general municipal elections with the statewide general election. The 1982 municipal election, held on November 2, was to elect two members of the City Council. There were 28,359 ballots cast.

1984 Municipal Election The 1984 municipal election, held on November 6, was to elect three members of the City Council. There were 37,063 ballots cast.

1986 Municipal Election The 1986 municipal election, held on November 4, was to elect two members of the City Council. There were 26,808 ballots cast.

1987 Measure C Election On August 3, the City Council called for a special election to increase the appropriations limit of the city, in accordance with the Constitution of California. The limit was proposed to be increased to provide funding for city streets, curbs, gutters, and sidewalks, and to construct new sidewalks for pedestrian safety. The election, held on November 3, had 6,264 ballots cast.

1988 Municipal Election The 1988 municipal election, held on November 8, was to elect three members of the City Council and to vote on three measures. There were 36,717 ballots cast.

One large issue for the candidates was the growth of the city. There was a slate of three slow-growth candidates and members of Costa Mesa Citizens for Responsible Growth (Genis, Humphrey, and Williams) who supported Measure G and opposed Measures H and I. The six other remaining candidates had opposing views.

Howard Gensler withdrew from the race but still appeared on the ballot.

1988 Measure G Election Measure G was an initiative ordinance and amendment to the General Plan. Titled the "Citizens' Sensible Growth and Traffic Control Initiative," it would require that certain levels of road and flood control facilities and certain levels of police, fire, and paramedic services be in place in order to permit specific types of development projects. Due to issues with ballot petition circulation, there were concerns with whether the measure could be placed on the ballot.

The measure passed.

1988 Measure H and Measure I Election

The Segerstrom Home Ranch site is a parcel of land located between Harbor Boulevard, Sunflower Avenue, Fairview Road, and the 405 freeway. Following a court ruling in Costa Mesa Residents for Responsible Growth v. City of Costa Mesa, the city was required to amend two elements of its general plan, which was previously amended to allow for increased development at the Home Ranch property. The city first passed Resolution 88-11 in response to the case, which would allow 3.1 million square feet of development and certain building limit heights. A petition drive then began to circulate to place the issue on the ballot, ultimately becoming Measure H. In response, the city adopted an alternate resolution, Resolution 88-44, which would allow for less development, at 2.12 million square feet. Another petition was started to place this new resolution on the ballot, becoming Measure I. Passage of either measure would have allowed the development to be built. If both measures had passed, Measure H would have prevailed over Measure I.

Both measures failed and a large portion of the site remains vacant to this day.

1990 Municipal Election The 1990 municipal election, held on November 6, was to elect two members of the City Council and to vote on two measures. There were 26,046 ballots cast.

Following controversial actions by the City Council, led by Councilmember Amburgey, a number of social issues were placed in the campaign spotlight. Namely, anti-illegal immigrant actions taken by the council and the censoring of public art that would receive grant funding. With Peter Buffa being seen as a swing vote on these issues, an anti-Amburgey slate was formed by Jay Humphrey and Karen McGlinn, with Arlene Schafer seen as an ally of Amburgey.

1990 Measure V Election