If voters wanted their votes to count in Election Day results, they should have delivered their mail-ballots to the Colusa County elections office early.
About 2,000 mail-in ballots dropped off on Monday and Tuesday remain to be counted this week, following the Nov. 8 election.
Only early mail ballots and in-person poll results were posted Tuesday night, election officials said.
“Elections are not like they used to be,” said Colusa County Clerk-Recorder Rose Gallo-Vasquez, who said the number of outstanding ballots makes it difficult for anyone to truly predict either victory or defeat on Election Day.
Although a clearer picture of the Nov. 8 election will be seen in the days ahead, the final tally and the certification of the election is weeks away.
While too many contests are too close to call, some trends have emerged.
The City of Colusa and City of Williams may be saying no to the status quo by handily voting out entrenched incumbents and voting in their challengers.
On Tuesday, plans to raise sales taxes were also playing out favorably at the ballot box for Colusa County’s Measure A, Colusa’s Measure B, and Williams’ Measure C, although even those sentiments can flip.
Measure A, a special half-cent tax increase to raise about $2 million to support ground ambulance services, was looking to meet the two-third (66.6%) threshold for a special tax to pass with 1,939 (70.23%) voting yes, to 822 (29.77%) opposed.
The measure, if passed, will increase sales taxes by $5 cents on every $10 spent on taxable goods purchased in Colusa County.
The City of Colusa’s 1% sales tax increase (10 cents on $10), which will generate more than $1 million for general government services and infrastructure, also looks to be heading toward the 50 percent plus one margin of approval needed to pass, with 531 voting yes (54.18%) to 449 (45.82%), who were opposed, but with the number of outstanding ballots, that could change. If passed, the tax will sunset in four years.
Colusa’s voters also appear to be ousting the two City Council incumbents, Mayor Tom Reische, who held the seat for 20 years, and Former Mayor Josh Hill from the only two seats up for election.
Challengers Ryan Codorniz, with 488 votes, and Julie Garafalo, with 660 votes counted so far, look to easily defeat Hill, who picked up 314 votes and Reische, who garnered only 237.
Only 1,014 ballots from 3,043 registered voters were counted on Election Day.
The City of Williams’ half-percent general tax is also looking favorably, with 194 (52.01%) voting yes to 179 (47.99%), who were opposed, as of Election Day tallies, although the contest is still too close to call. The sales tax increase is estimated to generate an additional $750,000 in revenue for the city annually. It does not have a sunset date.
Williams voters may have also upset the status quo on the City Council, with challengers Kate Dunlap, with 222 votes, and Maria Belmontes Leyva, with 178 votes, possibly heading toward filling the seats belonging to Councilman Sajit Singh, who died in September, as well as the seat of former Mayor Alfred Sellers, who held the seat for the past 12 years.
Singh, whose name was still on the ballot, still garnered 113 votes; Sellers picked up 117.
Only 381 voters from 1,974 registered cast a ballot.
The 2022 midterm election also saw several contested races, some too close to call, for local elected offices, with candidates campaigning up until the close of polls.
As of Election Day, Janice Bell had 370 votes (51.03 percent) ahead of Richard Selover’s 355 (48.97 percent) for the District 5 Supervisors seat that will be vacated by Denise Carter at the end of the year.
As with the June 7 primary, when just one vote separated the two, the contest between Bell and Selover could be too close to call until every ballot is counted.
For Clerk-Recorder, it appears Cristy Edwards, with 1,505 votes (57.97%) will likely assume the duties to replace Gallo-Vasquez, who is retiring at the end of the year.
Amy Rennick-Schmidt received 1,091 votes.
School boards will also need all ballots to be counted, although former Colusa teacher Roberta James, with 737 votes on Election Day, could easily slide into the seat of Colusa Unified School District Board of Trustee Kathie Whitesell, who is stepping down at the end of the year.
Incumbent Chris Mcallister, with 507 votes, is hoping to retain his seat, but challenger, Vicki Pulsifer, is close behind with 484.
Only 1,318 ballots were cast on Election Day out of 3,948 registered voters in the school district, with many ballots left to be counted.
It is also too early to predict which two candidates will pick up the vacant seats on the Pierce Joint Unified School District Board of Trustees when long-time Trustees Barbara Bair and Amy Charter step down at the end of the year.
As of Tuesday, Melissa Ehrke Doherty was leading the contest with 334 votes, followed by Iluixochitl Perez Dudley, with 280; Kevin Ross, with 256; and Juan Manuel Garcia, with 157.
Only 694 votes were counted out of 2,560 registered voters within the school district on Election Day, with ballots left to be counted.
In total, only 2,298 voters had their ballots counted by Election Day out of 10,147 registered Colusa County voters, unlike elections past where more than 60% of the electorate turned out to the polls with great fanfare.
Gallo-Vasquez, who oversaw her last election before she retires, said the change in California election law to all-mail ballots means every ballot returned or dropped off must have the signature verified by the county’s few staff members.
New laws also allowed voters to register to vote and cast a ballot on Election Day, which requires even greater scrutiny.
“Those are the ballots we count last,” she said.
In total, only 2,298 Colusa County voters had their ballots counted by Election Day out of 10,147 registered voters, a turnout of 29.15%, unlike elections past where more than 60% of the electorate turned out to the polls with great fanfare.
Gallo-Vasquez, who oversaw her last election before she retires, said the change in California election law to all-mail ballots means every ballot returned or dropped off must have the signature verified by the county’s staff.
“I miss the way it used to be,” she said. “There was a lot of excitement on Election Day.”
New laws also allowed voters to register to vote and cast a ballot Nov. 8, which requires even greater scrutiny.
“Those are the ballots we count last,” she said. ■