San Joaquin County election workers have nearly cut the county’s ballot backlog in half, giving several local candidates stronger leads while leaving Manteca’s mayoral contest unsettled. Results released Friday evening showed challenger Jacob Naven ahead of incumbent Gary Singh by fewer than 700 votes, with 51% of the ballots counted in that race.
The Registrar of Voters Office processed more than 46,000 additional ballots between Thursday and Friday, raising the countywide count to 167,288. An estimated 45,421 ballots still awaited processing, compared with more than 90,000 a day earlier. Officials do not report how those outstanding ballots are distributed among individual races, leaving uncertainty about how many votes remain in Manteca, Stockton and other jurisdictions.
In Stockton, the additional returns largely preserved the advantages of two City Council incumbents seeking second terms. Michele Padilla, whose district covers the city’s northernmost area, had approximately 57% of the vote against Tamica Small’s 42%. District 3 incumbent Michael Blower held nearly 60%, while challenger Jessica Toccoli had just under 41%.
Those leads follow two years marked by political disputes, leadership changes and scrutiny of council conduct. A San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury investigation found governance problems and interference with city employees. In interviews with Stocktonia after Tuesday’s election, Padilla identified public safety, homelessness and better city services as priorities. Blower attributed his campaign’s performance to his work on infrastructure and constituent concerns.
Stockton’s District 5 race presents a more complicated outcome. Desiree Lynch remained ahead of incumbent Brando Villapudua with approximately 54% of the vote, despite withdrawing from the campaign after prosecutors filed six felony election fraud charges involving allegations about her residency and voter registration. Her attorney has said she would not take office if elected. Villapudua, who is separately under investigation over residency allegations, had nearly 46%. A Lynch victory could require the council to address a vacancy once results are official. The runner-up would not automatically take the seat.
Two races for higher office have already been called by the Associated Press. Democratic Rep. Josh Harder continued to hold a substantial advantage over Republican John McBride in California’s 9th Congressional District. Democratic Assembly District 13 incumbent Rhodesia Ransom also retained a commanding lead over Republican challenger Tom Patti.
Counting has continued since Tuesday night, following in-person voting by approximately 41,000 county residents. More than 121,000 ballots had been counted by early Wednesday. Workers have since been checking signatures, opening mail ballots and reviewing ballots needing additional examination. Most outstanding ballots arrived by mail on or before Election Day. The remaining workload also includes provisional ballots, conditional voter registrations, mail ballots received after Tuesday’s polls closed and damaged ballots.
Some voters still have time to correct signature or identification problems that could keep their ballots from being counted. Registrar of Voters Olivia Hale told Stocktonia on Thursday that processing was proceeding smoothly, although the backlog was nearly 5,000 ballots larger than at the corresponding point in the 2022 general election. Hale had previously said participation appeared higher than in the last midterm election. By Saturday morning, ballots included in the official count represented just over 40% of the county’s 415,611 registered voters.
The next results update is expected by 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, with further updates scheduled for Wednesdays and Fridays. County officials expect to certify the election on Nov. 25. Final turnout and the outcomes of unresolved races will depend on the remaining count.
