LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The work of elections officials here in Lake County and around the state is continuing, as absentee and provisional ballot counting continues to take place.
On Friday, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen's office reported that approximately 926,069 ballots statewide remained to be counted following the close of polls in the statewide primary race on Tuesday.
In Lake County, approximately 6,053 ballots remain to be counted, the Secretary of State's Office reported.
The Secretary of State Office's report said that total includes 5,263 absentee or vote by mail ballots, and 743 provisional ballots, which voters use in cases where their names are not on polling place rosters due to clerical or other errors.
There also are 47 ballots in the “other” category, which includes damaged ballots that could not be machine read and need to be remade, and ballots diverted by optical scanners for further review, Bowen's office reported.
The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office confirmed to Lake County News on Friday that the 6,053 total was current, and that those ballots had come in after May 28. Absentee processing had begun on May 12.
That all ballots aren't counted on election day is the norm, according to Bowen.
“With the popularity of voting by mail and the ability voters have to cast a provisional ballot to ensure they are not disenfranchised, county elections officials' work continues for up to a month after election day,” Bowen said in a post-election statement. “Accuracy is the most important element in democracy.”
For context, in Lake County's June 2010 primary, there were 3,766 ballots – 3,081 absentees ballots, 148 votes cast on eSlate election machines and 537 provisionals – that remained uncounted after election night, the Lake County Registrar of Voters reported at that time.
In November 2010, 4,500 absentee ballots and 872 provisional ballots were still being counted after election day, election officials said.
Election officials processing absentee ballots must confirm each voter’s registration status, verify each voter’s signature on the vote-by-mail envelope, and ensure each person did not vote elsewhere in the same election, according to Bowen's report.
In the case of provisionals, Bowen said all voters who cast such ballots must be researched to ensure that they were registered and did not vote more than once.
As such, not all provisional ballots may end up being counted, which is the case in past local elections, when some have been disqualified.
For example, in November 2010, Lake County election officials reported receiving 764 provisionals but only counting 699 of them, while in November 2008 there were 649 provisionals issued and 521 counted, according to election records.
There also is the manual audit of ballots from 1 percent of the precincts in the county, which must be done to ensure the results are accurate. The Lake County Registrar of Voters will conduct its manual count on Tuesday, June 17.
Absentee voting has continued to grow and outnumber precinct voters in Lake County over the last several years.
That trend, along with the impact of 2011 redistricting – which Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley said in June 2012 resulted in about 1,000 voters being changed from precinct to absentee voting – can be included in the factors influencing the larger number of absentees reported in this week's election.
In previous interviews, Fridley – who currently is on medical leave, with Maria Valadez acting as interim registrar – told Lake County News that the ballot tally that continues after election day doesn't tend to change candidates' placement, although percentages become more accurate.
As a comparison, in the June 2010 primary, when it also was a three-way sheriff's race, initial results on election day had then-candidates Frank Rivero, Rod Mitchell and Jack Baxter with 4,297 votes (38.5 percent), 3,852 votes (34.5 percent) and 3,008 votes (27 percent), respectively.
When another 3,637 absentee and provisional ballots were added to the final tally, the numbers changed but there was little adjustment in percentage: Rivero, 5,682 votes (38.4 percent); Mitchell, 5,078 votes (34.3 percent); Jack Baxter, 4,024 votes (27.2 percent).
Bowen reported that county election officials have until July 4 to certify the final election results to her office.
She, in turn, has until July 11 to review the materials, resolve any reporting discrepancies and compile the 58 county reports for complete election results.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.