Election results certified: Stanislaus County votes red, with a few exceptions
Stanislaus County released its certified election results Tuesday morning, Dec. 3. The final tally shows the county voted heavily for Republican candidates despite being a close split between Democrat and Republican registered voters.
The results were submitted to the California Secretary of State’s Office. The ballot counting process is complete, barring any recount efforts on specific races, which would need to be requested by Dec 8.
The final tally was slightly over 200,000 ballots counted for the county, considerably lower turnout than the last two presidential elections. As of Nov. 9, the projected total turnout was expected to be 67% but it edged up to 68% after all conditional ballots, confirmed write-ins, and cured ballots were counted.
As usual for Stanislaus County, the majority of ballots were by mail.
Where Stanislaus County voted differently than the state
Stanislaus leaned conservative when it came to the constitutional right to marriage. County voters narrowly opposed (50.6% to 49.4%) Proposition 3, which enshrines the rights of same-sex couples to wed. Statewide, that protection passed easily with 62% of the vote.
Voters in the county heavily supported Republican U.S. Senate and House candidates including Steve Garvey and Kevin Lincoln, despite those candidates losing to their Democratic rivals Adam Schiff and Josh Harder statewide.
Heath Flora and Juan Alanis, Republican incumbents in the state Assembly, both kept their seats, reflecting large support in Stanislaus County for conservatives in this election.
Lydia Kanno, president of the Stanislaus County chapter of the California Federation for Republican Women, said for her it was about a sense of safety and inflation.
“The election was good,” Kanno said. “We’re happy.”
Areas where the county followed the state
Proposition 4, which will allocate funds to fight climate change and protect drinking water, won in both the state and county.
Proposition 6, designed to stop forced labor in prisons, was defeated in Stanislaus and statewide.
Proposition 36, which raises sentences for low-level drug and theft crimes, passed easily in Stanislaus County, with 75% of voters supporting it. Likewise, California as a whole voted largely in favor of increased enforcement at 68%.
Close races
The portion of Stanislaus County that is in Congressional District 13 voted heavily in favor of Adam Gray, who won the seat in an extremely close race against incumbent House Rep. John Duarte by just 187 votes.
Other, smaller races also were tight. One for the Hickman Charter School board, south of Waterford, was just three votes apart.
“It’s exciting to see races real close, where they’re changing every time you give numbers,” said Donna Linder, Stanislaus County registrar. “You’re either an election geek or you’re not.”
What’s next
Now that the final county canvass of votes has been submitted, the secretary of state will declare the official statewide statement of votes by Dec 13.
Propositions that don’t have a built-in start date will take effect Dec 18. Statewide candidates were seated Dec 2. Federal House and Senate candidates will be seated Jan. 3.
This story was originally published December 4, 2024 at 12:26 PM.
