Senate ballots still being tallied
With ballots still being counted, Republican Tony Strickland inched ahead of Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson by 540 votes early Nov. 12 in the race for the 19th California Senate District.
Election officials in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties have tallied 361,904 ballots so far, with 180,682 for Jackson and 181,222 for Strickland.
After a campaign in which voters in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties were blanketed with mailers and advertisements, election night produced a slim lead of 108 votes for Jackson. Since then the lead has swung to Strickland, but with thousands of provisional and late absentee ballots still uncounted, the final outcome remains unclear.
It could stay that way for weeks as officials begin a mandatory by-hand recount of some ballots under state regulations.
The hotly contested race for the 19th District – likely the most expensive in state history for such a seat – was one of two contests Democrats needed to win to secure a veto-proof majority in the Senate.
