After almost two weeks of counting ballots, Assemblymember Evan Low leads the race to replace U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo over Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian by just two votes.
Low and Simitian have been duking it out for a spot in the November general election, where the winner will go on to face former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo.
Liccardo secured his spot in the election last week, winning 21% of the vote. His rivals continue to battle it out as roughly 1,700 ballots from Santa Clara County and San Mateo County await counting.
Just on Monday, Simitian had 12 more votes than Low. But, Low’s comeback demonstrates how the final contender will not be determined until every ballot is accounted for.
“To me, no matter the ultimate outcome, the closeness of this race shows that your vote truly matters,” Low said in a statement to ABC7. “Your vote can have a real impact on who represents your community.”
With several lead changes, the vote will solely be determined by the remaining challenged votes. The challenged votes are ballots that have signature problems or other issues. Santa Clara County has around 1,300 and San Mateo County has around 680 challenged votes.
Micheal Borja the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Office Spokesperson said voters with challenged ballots have 28 days to cure or fix their vote. These voters will get notified of their ballot status and will have the opportunity to fix the issue. “It’s a very close race and I think that’s a prime example of why it’s so important for people to vote,” Borja said.
However, according to Borja, only 40 to 60 percent of voters go back and cure their ballots.
It could be weeks before Low v. Simitian results are certain, The Mercury News reports. The registrar has until April 4 to declare a winner, which would then go on to be certified by the Secretary of State on April 12.
“Sometimes it takes a while for democracy to work,” Simitian said in a statement. “This is one of those times. This means counting and verifying all of the votes. Every single one of them.”
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