With this year’s general election bringing some close races, it’s possible that one of them could see a recount.
Most races in this year’s general election will have a clear winner separated by hundreds if not thousands of votes, but there is still at least one major race that is too close to call.
The race for Kern County District 5 Supervisor has been too close to call for nearly two weeks, after challenger Kimberly Salas overtook incumbent Supervisor Leticia Perez by 43 votes as ballots were still being counted.
But Salas’ slim lead did not hold, and the latest update from the Kern County Elections Department shows Perez leading again, this time by 124 votes.
According to the elections department, 495 ballots remain to be processed and more than 2,000 are waiting to be processed. The official results will be announced to the state on December 6.
Once that happens, every registered voter will have five days to request a recount for a specific race and for a specific district. Recount requests for statewide candidates or ballot measures must be filed with the California Secretary of State’s office, but local races — such as the District 5 race — must be filed with the county elections office.
“The (recount) process begins seven days after the request and is conducted publicly, allowing for transparency,” said Kern County Auditor-Controller-County Clerk Aimee Espinoza.
In a letter dated Wednesday, Espinoza said that while recounts are rare and often do not result in significant change, they are essential to ensure confidence in the accuracy of close races.
“A request for a recount may be filed by any registered voter within five days of the completion of the official investigation, which will occur once the election official has certified the results,” Espinoza said.
Voters who request a recount are responsible for covering associated costs, which will be determined by the election official. More information about fees and filing can be obtained from the Elections Department.
According to the Secretary of State’s office, upon receiving a request for a recount, the county elections official must first verify that the person requesting a recount is a registered voter.
The recount must begin within seven days of the request, but cannot begin until election officials notify all parties involved in the race in question, such as candidates or proponents of ballot measures, in person or by mail.
At least one day before the recount begins, officials must post a notice stating when and where the recount will take place, as well as the daily schedule.
The recounts must be conducted daily – excluding weekends and holidays – for at least 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 funds requested by the county election official to cover the costs of the county’s recount work first day to be paid. This procedure is repeated for each day the recount continues,” the Secretary of State’s office said.
A 2022 recount of the results of the District 16 race between Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, and Republican challenger David Shepard found no change in Kern County results but did result in a small change overall.
The recount resulted in a 13-vote deficit for the Republican challenger after he initially lost by 20 votes, The Californian reported at the time. Just under 137,000 votes were cast. The race for Senate District 16 in 2022 was one of the closest in state history.
