MENDOCINO COUNTY — Though the election was three days ago now, and the rest of the country and state is certain about the winners and losers, Mendocino continues counting ballots and wondering about how various races will shake out — 26,567 or 68.83% of ballots in the county have not been counted, and the final count may not be available for up to three and a half weeks. However, the county clerk’s office has put out the latest figures on the ballots remaining to be counted. County Clerk Sue Ranochak told the Voice that she doesn’t make predictions, and that she has until 28 days after the election to provide the final count.
Because the county election offices goes through a complex multi-step process, they do not immediately process all the ballots, nor know exactly how many ballots were even cast. Today they released a count of the total number of ballots cast in the count, and what kind of ballot they were, but it will be several days if not more than a week before all ballots have been processed — the county elections office has until 28 days after the election to finalize the results of the election.
The current vote count includes vote by mail ballots that arrived prior to Nov. 8 and the votes from polling places. The current election results, which were posted on the election office’s website at around 2am Nov. 9, reflect the tally of only these ballots. The ballots that remain to be processed include vote-by-mail ballots dropped off at polling stations, vote-by-mail ballots delivered by the post office to the elections office on or after Nov. 8, and provisional ballots. The final vote count will also include any vote-by-mail ballots that arrive at the elections office in the mail up until Monday, Nov. 14 due to the holiday weekend.
The numbers are as follows:
There are 51,035 registered voters in the county, of whom 75.63% voted.
Of those ballots cast only 12,032 have been counted, they are comprised of vote-by-mail ballots that arrived early, and the ballots cast at polling stations on election day.
In the whole county there are 26,567 total ballots that remain to be processed.
In the whole county 25,407 of the remaining are vote by mail ballots.
In the whole county 1,160 of the remaining are provisional ballots.
The breakdown of remaining ballots by supervisorial district is:
First Supervisorial District – 4,293
Second Supervisorial District – 5,400
Third Supervisorial District – 5,044
Fourth Supervisorial District – 5,462
Fifth Supervisorial District – 6,368
By city the breakdown is:
City of Ukiah — 4,986
City of Willits — 1,271
City of Fort Bragg — 1,591
City of Point Arena — 95
Again, here are the tallies from 1:55am on November 9 from 12,032 ballots; however, there are 26,567 total ballots that remain to be processed.
You can see links our coverage of the election, including visits to the Laytonville polling station, the Trump and Clinton HQs in Ukiah, and updates from that night on our 2016 election page.
If you have any additional questions for the election office you can call (707) 234-6819
If every county clerk in this country was as incompetent as Ranochak, we would still be wondering who won the White House! Unacceptable! Her arrogance in refusing to state when the ballots will be counted is hardly transparent. Imagine if the whole country had to wait 28 days for results, not because of a close election, or a recount, but only because election officials said they legally don’t have to tell us until then! This is pathetic. The state attorney general should step in. Ranochak has the ballots. Why can’t she count them??? Remember this if she runs for reelection.