I just came back from marathoning Sidonia season 2 and reading some of the manga, where things were adapted out of order but still retained almost everything. I suspect the Shokugeki anime is taking the same approach, maybe streamlining the whole camp–>election buildup-->election sequence.
Maybe they're putting the autumn election's first mention (along with the dad's cooking contest) earlier so first-time viewers can know where the karaage arc stands in the overall narrative? Plus, the whole lesson Souma gets from his dad kinda fits in with the way the karaage arc focuses on convenience for the customers. I expect them to start the karaage arc after this cooking contest, then head into the first third or half of the autumn elections. Remember, it's a gigantic 66-chapter arc, and each Shokugeki episode has generally covered ~2 chapters at most.