Modesto’s high school bond measure moves out of the danger zone in latest election update
Modesto City Schools’ $198 million bond measure to improve high school facilities now stands more than a full percentage point above what it needs to pass, according to updated unofficial results released Thursday by the Stanislaus County election office.
Measure L has 32,661 votes, or 56.2%, in support, vs. 25,500 votes, or 43.8%, against it. It needs 55% voter approval to pass. The previous update, released Tuesday night, showed just 55.5% support.
Another Modesto City Schools race has grown even tighter, though. Incumbent trustee Charlene West has the slimmest of leads with 55.05% of the votes counted, compared to challenger Jolene Daly’s 49.95%. Trustee Area 5 comprises parts of east Modesto, including Empire and the airport neighborhood. Just eight votes — 3,845 to 3,837 — separate the candidates.
Tuesday’s update had West leading with 50.5% of the vote to Daly’s 49.5%. West at that time led by 70 votes.
The Turlock Unified School District also has a couple of tight board races.
Area 4 incumbent Mary Jackson has 2,126 votes, or 50.5%, to challenger Jeff Nichols’ 2,086 votes, or 49.5%.
And the district’s Area 6 incumbent, Jeffrey Cortinas, has 1,071 votes, or 50.2% to Rupinder Singh Jagpal’s 1,063 votes, or 49.8%.
Another contest involving a local candidate isn’t particularly close in Stanislaus County but remains a toss-up in overall results. That’s the race between Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, and farmer John Duarte, a Modesto Republican, in California’s 13th Congressional District.
The district takes in all of Merced County and parts of Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Madera and Fresno counties.
Duarte led with 50.3% of the votes, just six-tenths above Gray, according to the Associated Press on Thursday night. Just under 830 votes separate them with more than 93% of the votes counted.
But in Stanislaus County, of the votes tallied so far, Gray has 52% to Duarte’s 48%.
The Stanislaus County election office reported it has now counted 118,259 ballots in races held countywide and has 13,000 vote-by mail currently being processed. That includes checking signatures. The office also has more than 950 other ballots to process.
Stanislaus County had 282,393 registered voters as of the Nov. 8 election, and voter turnout countywide is now 42%, based on Thursday evening’s update.
Adding the ballots the election office has counted so far with the remaining uncounted ballots would put turnout at about 47% countywide. The office will continue to process and count ballots it received in the mail no later than Nov. 15 as long as they have a postmark of Nov. 8 or earlier.
The election office will release updates Tuesdays and Thursdays and has 30 days after the election — or Dec. 8 — to complete its count.
The unofficial updated tally results have been posted on the election website, www.stanvote.com.
This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 7:40 PM.
