Influx of mailed votes in west Sonoma County election boosts turnout, unlikely to change results

A larger than expected influx of mailed ballots received at the Sonoma County Registrar’s office Thursday will give a boost to overall turnout, but the two tax measures that made up the special election remain on their way to defeat.

The office had received about 2,500 mailed ballots since Election Day by Thursday morning, bringing the total number of mail ballots not yet included in elections results to 4,000, with an additional 150 provisional ballots still being verified.

Voter turnout would reach 46% if all the untallied ballots are verified and added to the count.

“It’s surprising,” said Deva Proto, the county’s elections chief. “But we always get late ballots. It’s just the number of them that always varies.”

Both sides in the election signaled in public comments Wednesday that they had accepted the preliminary results and saw no signs of a changed outcome as the count goes on.

Election workers are still in the process of signature-checking and verifying the ballots received by mail since Election Day. Ballots can be accepted up to three days after precincts close, provided they are postmarked by Election Day.

For Measure B and Measure A, the number of uncounted votes, though higher than anticipated, does not appear to present a path to passage. The measures faced sizable deficits in preliminary results from Tuesday night, trailing the two-thirds majority both need to pass.

Measure B, a proposed hike on the lodging tax collected at hotels and vacation rentals in the west county, had secured 60% of the vote by Tuesday night. If all the remaining ballots were to be validated and counted, it would need about 88% of those ballots, or close to 3,700 votes, to break in its favor in order to pass. The tax was put forward by Supervisor Lynda Hopkins and allied groups to support struggling schools and fire agencies in the region.

Measure A, a $48 parcel tax to support the region’s high school district, as of Thursday would not be able to pass even if all the untallied ballots on hand were validated and counted in its favor. It was at 55% of the vote in preliminary results from Tuesday.

Proto said that her office plans to release the next round of results Friday, likely including both the 1,500 mail ballots received through precincts on Election Day and some of the mailed ballots received since then.

The registrar’s office may receive additional mailed ballots Friday, adding to the turnout and tweaking final results.

Though voter turnout remains lower than Proto had projected earlier in the week, it’s far from the most tepid participation in a special election seen in Sonoma County. Elections in 1998 and 1996 saw 21% turnout, Proto said — the lowest she had on record.

You can reach Staff Writer Kaylee Tornay at 707-521-5250 or kaylee.tornay@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ka_tornay.