Stanislaus election results certified. What candidates in some tight races had to say

Two school board candidates who narrowly won seats in the Nov. 8 election both used the term “roller coaster” to describe the experience of campaigning and waiting for the final results, which were certified Wednesday.

“The race was a roller coaster, and I am still speechless,” Jolene Daly told The Bee by email Wednesday. The election means she will join the Modesto City Schools Board of Education, unseating trustee Charlene West.

After trailing the incumbent by just eight votes in a recent results update, Daly won by 100 votes. The official results show her with 4,270 votes, or 50.6%, to West’s 4,170 votes, or 49.4%.

“I am so grateful for the voters’ confidence in electing me to the Modesto School Board,” Daly said. “I pledge to serve not just my district but every parent and child. I look forward to what the future brings. I hope we can work toward better unification of parents and educators.”

West, the Area 5 board member since 2017, told The Bee, “I’m disappointed of course, but I remain extremely proud of everything we’ve accomplished for Modesto schools in the past five years. I’ve worked hard for our students, teachers and parents. I congratulate Jolene and I can only hope she will continue the good work we have begun in our district and that she will make sure to be a strong advocate for our students. They deserve it.”

In Wednesday’s email announcing the certification of the Nov. 8 results, Stanislaus County Clerk Recorder and Registrar of Voters Donna Linder said the election office reviewed challenged ballots, timely ballots received from other counties, and close races.

About as close at it gets

This election, none were closer than that for the Area 6 seat on the Turlock Unified School District board, which Rupinder Singh Jagpal won by a single vote.

Incumbent Jeffrey Cortinas had led Jagpal ever so slightly in previous updates, but in the end, Jagpal had 1,242 votes, or 50.02%, to Cortinas’ 1,241, or 49.98%.

“It’s been a roller coaster,” the victor told The Bee. “I feel both humbled and honored. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all who participated in this election and gave me the opportunity to represent our Area 6. I am confident that I will be able to fulfill my duties as a trustee. Having the relevant experience and skill set enables me to represent my district when needed and to take charge when necessary.

Jagpal, a Manteca Unified School District math teacher, added, “With my dedication as an educator, I strive to make our district a more successful place for the future and help it reach new heights. ... My commitment to this position is unwavering.”

Cortinas, elected to the Turlock district board in 2018, could not be reached by The Bee for comment. But he told The Turlock Journal in an article published early Nov. 9, “No matter what happens, I’ll just take a breath. Whatever happens, I’m going to accept the results. Even if it’s by one vote, I’ll say, ‘Congratulations, Mr. Jagpal. No hard feelings, wish you the best of luck.’ Turlock will survive and some great ideas will come from both sides.”

One-vote wins are rare but not unheard of, Linder said. “We have seen in the past races that have tied, races that are one vote apart, but in my time, here they have all been very small districts,” she said.

In another tight Turlock Unified board race, Area 4 incumbent Mary Jackson held her seat. She received 2,308 votes, or 50.6%, to challenger Jeff Nichols’ 2,254 votes, or 49.4%.

‘A big win’ in Modesto

Modesto City Schools’ $198 million bond measure to fund high school facilities improvements needed 55% of the vote to pass. After early results had it hanging on with just 55.05%, Measure L ended up with 56.4% support.

“We are very pleased at the results, and want to thank our local community partners and MTA (Modesto Teachers Association) for their support through this process,” Superintendent Sara Noguchi told The Bee in an email Tuesday evening. “This is a big win for our students, and our community, as we will work to expand our Career Technical Education programming, science labs, leaking roofs, and much more.

“We do recognize that a large portion of our community did not support measure L. We will work hard to show the entire community how the High School Bond Measure program will greatly benefit all our students, and ultimately the Modesto City community at large.”

The Certified Statement of Vote has been posted on the election website, www.stanvote.com.

This story was originally published November 23, 2022 at 8:27 PM.