With close races on the ballot, possibility of recount looms

With some close races coming out of this year’s general election, it’s possible one of them could see a recount.

In most of the races in this year’s general election there’s a clear winner, separated by hundreds if not thousands of votes, but there’s still at least one major race that’s too close to call.

The race for Kern County District 5 Supervisor has been too close to call for almost two weeks after challenger Kimberly Salas overtook incumbent Supervisor Leticia Perez by 43 votes as ballots continued to be counted.

But Salas’ thin lead didn’t last, and according to the most recent update from the Kern County Elections Division, Perez is once again ahead, this time by 124 votes.

According to the Elections Division, there are 495 ballots left to be processed and more than 2,000 waiting to be cured, and official results are due to the state on Dec. 6.

Once that happens, any registered voter has five days to request a recount in a specific race and for a specific precinct. Recount requests for statewide candidates or ballot measures must be made to the California Secretary of State’s office, but local races — such as the District 5 race — must be made to the county elections office.

“The (recount) process begins seven days after the request and is conducted publicly, allowing for transparency,” said Aimee Espinoza, Kern County’s auditor-controller-county clerk.

In a Wednesday letter, Espinoza said while recounts are rare and often do not result in a significant change, they are essential for ensuring confidence in the accuracy of close races.

“A recount request can be made by any registered voter within five days after the completion of the official canvass, which occurs once the elections official certifies the results,” Espinoza said.

Voters requesting a recount are responsible for covering the associated costs, which are determined by the election’s official. More information about fees and filing is available from the Elections Division.

According to the Secretary of State’s office, after receiving a request for a recount, county elections official must first verify the person requesting the recount is a registered voter.

The recount must begin within seven days of the request, but it can’t start until elections officials have notified in person or by mail all parties involved with the race in question, such as candidates or ballot measure proponents.

At least one day before the recount begins, officials must post a notice detailing when and where the recount will be conducted, as well as the daily schedule.

Recounts must be conducted daily — not including weekends and holidays — for a minimum of six hours each day until completed.

“Recount costs vary by county. Before the recount can begin, the voter or campaign committee represented by the voter requesting the recount must provide the money requested by the county elections official to pay for the cost of the first day’s recount work. This procedure is repeated for each day the recount continues,” the Secretary of State’s office said.

A 2022 recount of the results for the District 16 race between state Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, and Republican challenger David Shepard found no change in Kern County’s results but did result in a slight change overall.

The recount resulted in a 13-vote deficit for the Republican challenger, after initially losing by 20 votes, The Californian reported at the time. There were just under 137,000 votes cast. The 2022 race for Senate District 16 was one of the closest in state history.

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