Updated Thursday 4:55 pm…
With all countywide votes in the hopper, it remains tied. The “final,” same as yesterday:
CITY OF CHULA VISTA CITY COUNCIL
STEVE PADILLA 18450 50.00 %
JOHN McCANN 18450 50.00 %
I’ve asked the Registrar of Voters (ROV) for some clarity:
- What’s the recount process, if one is pursued?
- One or the other candidate can pay for one?
- They can agree to share in the cost?
- If no recount, it goes to a coin toss or other “game of chance,” administered by Chula Vista (per state elections code)?
Derrick Roach has been following the process closely. “We have to get through the reconciliation process first,” he said, “where the Registrar audits each precinct to verify ballots were counted correctly. ROV states the vote count could change by a couple votes during this process.”
Some answers (Friday 8:15 am):
If there is no longer a tie after the reconciliation process, a candidate may request and pay for a recount. Only the trailing candidate would have an interest in doing so, of course.
Actually, any individual or group may pay for the recount process, it’s not limited to candidates.
The recount process may also be paid in pieces, with certain areas requested to be counted. Whoever is covering the cost may not be interested in paying for the entire city (in this case), especially if they see no vote changes in the areas requested along the way.
If a tie still exists following reconciliation, either candidate may ask for a recount, with the requesting candidate covering the costs. Or the two candidates could agree to share in the cost.
A real scenario could have one candidate willing to chance a coin toss, while the other wants a recount and thus has to pay solely for that cost.
What fun!
_____
Updated Wednesday 5 pm…
CITY OF CHULA VISTA CITY COUNCIL
STEVE PADILLA 18450 50.00 %
JOHN McCANN 18450 50.00 %
Approximately 100 ballots left to tally, countywide.
—–
Prior post (Tuesday)…
No words are needed for a graphic like that.
The Friday update had John McCann leading Steve Padilla in the race for Chula Vista City Council by 46 votes. By many accounts, the votes in the city had all been tallied, but about 7,500 remained county-wide. Now, with 1,000 left throughout the county, Padilla only trails McCann by one vote.
That means 189 votes were added to the Chula Vista total, with Padilla getting 117.
How many of those remaining ballots are in the city? A couple of candidates would like to know.
This now seems to be far from over.
Comments 22
Lawyer Up! For those of us who have been intimately involved in the vote tabulation process, something just does not seem right.
What is that saying ‘it’s not over til the fat lady sings’?
A recount seems imminent. Let’s hope John stays ahead so he doesn’t have to pay for it!
I agree with Derrick. In my race Against Aguilar, the percentage has been virtually the same when hundreds of votes were tallied. The same has been true with Salas vs. Rindone. An approximate 4 plus percent change since election seems highly suspect!
The change of almost 4% since election night seems highly suspect. I agree with Derek. In Aguilar vs. Smith and the Salas versus Rindone race, the post election count has not changed the percentages by more than one point. I think this is highly suspect!
As for the winners in the prediction contest, question 6 (http://sdrostra.com/?p=39625) will have a significant impact on that particular outcome.
As noted in the contest rules:
“In the case of any close races, the contest winner may not be determined until the Registrar of Voters is done with its work.”
The work of the ROV may now include recounts and other “pressures.”
This also could take a while.
My guess, and it is just that, is that the additional votes were absentee ballots dropped of at The Registrar of Voters on election day. I do not know whether the Registrar would know whether or not these were from Chula Vista until they were opened.
HQ, good thought. End of last week, it was indicated the ROV was canvassing all those remaining for Chula Vista ballots, so they could be counted first. At one point, the ROV even did note they believed there were only about 20 provisionals in Chula Vista left — 29 were added that night (about Thurs).
When the number went from 7,500 to 1,000 ballots (approx) remaining county-wide on Monday night, the totals in CV didn’t change at all, thus further confirming the belief that the counting was complete in that city.
However, yesterday 189 additional votes were added.
Some have questioned how 1,000 remained on Monday night, while with 189 added to the CV mix yesterday, 1,000 still remain. Those are always approximate numbers remaining. Approximate means what it says. I’ve never seen the ROV post, “850 approximate votes remain,” it’s typically been rounded large.
And now with only 100 provisionals left to count, the actual vote count is tied at 18,450 each! Amazing!!
CITY OF CHULA VISTA CITY COUNCIL – SEAT NO. 1
Precincts: 122
Counted: 122
Percentage: 100.0%
Vote for: 1
STEVE PADILLA
18450
50.00%
JOHN McCANN
18450
50.00%
Why is it so hard to believe that this is the result of an aggressive (and apparently very effective) GOTV effort on the part of Padilla’s campaign? I think most would agree that all of the other Chula Vista races were snoozers with foregone conclusions. With all of the campaign work and IE support on both sides, it just makes sense that if there were any significant movement in any single race as provisionals were counted, it would be this one. Election Day voters and provisionals skew Dem, and not every voter votes in every single race. I don’t think at all that this comeback is out of the realm of the possible.
Jerome, yes, Greg or Barry have been updating nightly. See top of post.
With Mary Salas being elected Mayor, is there now an open Council seat that will need to be filled? If so, it would seem appropriate that either McCann or Padilla be appointed to that seat.
@Hypocrisy: the question is, would either of them want the appointment? It comes with strings attached in that the appointee is prohibited in running for the seat after the end of the appointment. Now, I don’t know the constitutionality of such a restriction but that’s what the rule is in this situation. Either of them could choose to pass on an appointment and preserve their right to run in 2016.
@Christine, it’s constitutional if part of the muni code, which it is.
@HQ: Prop B adopted by the voters of CV in 2012, see page 6, subsection C.
http://www.chulavistaca.gov/City_Services/Administrative_Services/City_Clerk/PDFs/Textofthemeasure_000.pdf
It looks like if appointed, it precludes them for running for the seat in two years, but they could run in a subsequent election.
Remember, one of these guys won a Survivor contest previously.
http://sdrostra.com/?p=38193
“Why is it so hard to believe that this is the result of an aggressive (and apparently very effective) GOTV effort on the part of Padilla’s campaign? ”
It’s not. The GOP GOTV effort lacks a neighborhood volunteer GOTV army. Until that changes, we lose more elections
Christine,
I knew this was the case in San Diego and the reason Ed Harris couldn’t run in D2, but I was I unaware that Chula Vista had a similar prohibition. Thanks for pointing that out. And Barry, thanks for finding the section of the municipal code.
Barry Jantz –
I think that the Chula Vista muni code controls re: recounts. It allows for the City Council to order a recount of its own volition (paid for by taxpayers). Alternatively, either candidate can ask for a recount, but it appears they bear the cost of that recount.
Good information, Sam. I’ll look at the code.
This article asks WHAT’S NEXT? Well it appears Mr. McCann is having difficulty dealing with the stress of it all …… 7/39 TV aired a segment that depicts John McCann chasing after Kevin O’Neill’s vehicle and throwing an object at that vehicle. Now McCann claimed O’Neill flipped him off and that he did NOT throw anything – well Mr. McCann time to get your recall checked as all of those viewing can CLEARLY see you throwing something at the back of the vehicle.
Brian Brady
With regards to the “Survivor” contest, a school board should not be considered a contest or a game to be won.
Sweetwater board members have a responsibility of educating more than 40,000 students at our schools.
The biggest thing about John is that he “survived”? Not much of a platform. Looking at his site, it is stated that he fought higher taxes that would make it harder for families to make ends meet. Yet, he approved raising Mello Roos taxes.
It is stated that he fought corruption. Really? How? He didn’t bring down the other members who were indicted. Members of the public brought those issues to the DA. (Indicted member Lopez also worked with the DA early on) What did John do? He was voting right along with other members on policies.
Oh, that’s right, he sent Gandara packing. That was his big blow to corruption. But, wait, he sat on a 2nd legal opinion that the district could have fired Gandara with cause, instead choosing to pay almost half a million to Gandara and allowing him to use up his vacation time to extend his employment into a pension. Way to go, John. That’s the way to fight that bad corruption.
Oh, but he “survived”.
@OddFool
I assume you meant to address your comment to me, not Brian Brady.
The article above and the “Survivor” one I linked to have nothing to do with McCann’s platform, credentials or positions.
As to your contention that “Sweetwater board members have a responsibility of educating more than 40,000 students at our schools”…
I agree. I consider the role of providing educational services to 40,000 students as a very important one. I also considered it important to provide municipal services to over 50,000 residents in La Mesa as a council member myself, just as I do now in providing services to the over 500,000 residents of the Grossmont Healthcare District.
I also think I have the ability to find humor in a situation, such as comparing McCann in Sweetwater to being the “last person on the island,” following all four of his colleagues leaving office in the now infamous corruption scandal, something in which he had no part.
Since you, like I, find education so important, let me ask, when you were a student did you just go to school and study hard, and act seriously, and never have any fun, never crack a joke, or never find any humor in anything? Is that what you do today in your own work?
If so, I’m very sad for you.