Nearly a week after Election Day, San Joaquin County has reduced its backlog of unprocessed ballots to fewer than 7,000, bringing several closely watched local races closer to their final outcomes as two Stockton City Council incumbents maintained commanding leads.
The Registrar of Voters Office reported Monday evening that election workers had counted 214,691 ballots, bringing voter turnout to 51.7% among the county’s registered voters. Another 6,531 ballots remain unprocessed, a dramatic decline from more than 90,000 reported last Thursday.
The latest results reinforce the advantages that Stockton councilmembers Michele Padilla and Michael Blower established on election night, while a third council race remains complicated by criminal allegations and the possibility of a vacancy. Election officials have yet to certify the results.
Stockton incumbents maintain their leads
Padilla, who represents Stockton’s northernmost council district, received nearly 57% of the vote against challenger Tamica Small, maintaining an advantage of more than 2,000 votes.
Her lead has remained relatively stable since election night, when early returns suggested voters were prepared to give her another four years on the council.
In District 3, Blower continued to outperform challenger Jessica Toccoli, receiving approximately 58% of the vote. His advantage now stands at more than 2,100 votes.
Both incumbents sought reelection following a turbulent period at City Hall marked by political infighting, leadership changes and a San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury investigation that identified governance problems and interference with city employees.
In previous interviews with Stocktonia, Padilla and Blower expressed optimism about returning the council’s attention to neighborhood concerns, including public safety, homelessness and basic city services.
The outlook remains more complicated in District 5, where Desiree Lynch continues to lead incumbent Brando Villapudua with approximately 54% of the vote.
Lynch faces six felony election fraud charges related to allegations about her residency and voter registration. She withdrew from the campaign after prosecutors filed charges, and her attorney has said she will not accept the position if elected.
Villapudua has separately faced an investigation into allegations concerning his residency in the district.
A Lynch victory could eventually trigger a vacancy process under the City Charter. The candidate who finishes second would not automatically receive the seat.
Manteca mayoral race remains competitive
Outside Stockton, the contest for Manteca mayor remains one of San Joaquin County’s closer elections, although challenger Jacob Naven expanded his lead over incumbent Gary Singh.
Naven received approximately 52% of the vote in Monday’s update, extending his advantage to more than 1,000 votes. With thousands of ballots still awaiting processing countywide, the candidates must wait for the remaining votes to determine the final margin.
At the congressional level, Democratic Rep. Josh Harder maintained his substantial lead over Republican John McBride in California’s 9th Congressional District. Democratic Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom also continued to outperform Republican challenger Tom Patti in Assembly District 13. The Associated Press has called the races for both Democratic incumbents.
Fewer than 7,000 ballots remain unprocessed
Monday’s update marks a major milestone for election workers, who have spent nearly a week verifying signatures, opening mail ballots and reviewing votes that require additional examination.
The county processed 47,403 ballots since Friday, reducing its estimated backlog from 45,421 to just 6,531.
According to the latest report, election workers have finished processing all vote-by-mail ballots received on or before Election Day, leaving a smaller number of ballots requiring additional verification.
The remaining workload consists primarily of conditional voter registrations and ballots that were damaged or require further review. Election officials must also process a smaller number of provisional ballots and ballots forwarded from other counties.
Separately, 1,849 ballots still require voters to resolve signature or identification issues before officials can count them.
The county’s progress follows an election in which approximately 41,000 San Joaquin County residents voted in person Tuesday.
Registrar of Voters Olivia Hale previously told Stocktonia that election workers were progressing as expected despite having thousands more unprocessed ballots than at the same point during the 2022 general election.
“We are continuing to see a smooth process here in San Joaquin County,” Hale said Thursday. “We have been verifying signatures, opening and scanning the vote-by-mail ballots that were dropped off or mailed by Election Day.”
The latest figures also suggest robust voter participation. More than half of the county’s 415,611 registered voters have now cast ballots included in the official tally, with turnout expected to rise as election workers finish processing the remaining votes.
Although the shrinking backlog brings the county closer to determining the final outcomes, election officials do not provide a breakdown of outstanding ballots by individual race.
San Joaquin County plans to certify the election Nov. 25.