Certified results for Prop. 50 election show low turnout in Stanislaus County
The results are in: Turnout by Stanislaus County voters for the Nov. 4 special election on Proposition 50 was lower than even the previous recall election in 2021.
Only 46% of the county’s registered voters either mailed their ballots or showed up at the polls for lst month’s election. That’s an 8% lower turnout than for the Gov. Gavin Newsom recall election in 2021.
Voter turnout for the state as a whole was 50%. Of the 58 counties In California, Stanislaus was in the bottom 10 for participation in the election.
Avonelle Tomlinson, who dropped off her mail-in ballot at the registrar’s office, said this week that people in Stanislaus County just don’t turn up for elections.
“I don’t understand, because it’s my opinion that if you don’t vote, you can’t complain,” she said. “I’m continuing to hold out a small amount of hope that people will wake up and participate in their lives. People are busy and tired and can’t afford to pay attention, I guess.”
The one-item ballot determined new congressional district boundaries throughout the state. The purpose was to solidify three new Democratic-leaning districts in response to a similar gerrymandering for Republicans in Texas, who redrew their map to reduce three Democrat-leaning districts.
Stanislaus County voted to stick with the current congressional setup, with slightly over 50% voting “no” on the proposed constitutional amendment to allow for mid-decade redistricting. The total vote count for the state, however, was strongly supportive of the proposition.
Lower voter registration in the county means the people who show up to the polls have a larger final say in what the community votes for or against. Only 81% of the county’s eligible voters are registered. The way Stanislaus swung in this latest election was a difference of just under 2,000 votes in a county with around 370,000 people eligible to vote.
Party preference between Republicans and Democrats in the county is about even, rounding to 36%, with the remaining 28% split between third-party and nonaffiliated registered voters. As of October, there are just 388 more registered Republicans than Democrats in Stanislaus County
.The county is a notorious toss-up district, which set the stage for one of the most closely watched races in California in 2024 between John Duarte and Adam Gray for congressional District 13.
The way California voted in this election is expected to make District 13 more favorable for Democrats. Election results were officially certified on Friday, Dec. 12, though the count has long been completed by Stanislaus County election staff who submitted their result to the state on Dec. 2. This is due to a state law that prevents the results of an election from being certified until there is ample time for voters to cure their ballots, if there is an issue like a missed or unmatched signature.
