CA-45: Derek Tran Pulls Ahead of Rep. Michelle Steel in OC's Tightest Congressional Race

[RandySF]

Democratic challenger Derek Tran took the narrow lead over incumbent Republican Michelle Steel in the race for Orange County’s 45th Congressional District, giving Democrats an edge in one of the most competitive districts in the country.

As of Saturday, Tran is just 36 votes ahead of Steel after slowly eating up her lead over the past week, with over 300,000 votes counted in the race.

Both Steel and Tran are in a dead heat with each holding roughly 50% of the votes.

It is one of only five races for the House of Representatives left in the country that have not been called by the Associated Press as of Saturday night.


https://voiceofoc.org/2024/11/derek-tran-pulls-ahead-of-rep-michelle-steele-in-congressional-race/

[RubyRose]

1. I just don't understand how some races are taking so

let ng to tally.

[Lovie777]

2. It's California.....

[ColinC]

4. They have 99% of their races called. They do fine.

The only reason this isn't called is because it is very close. California respects their voters and allows for every vote to be counted (unless like most of the cou try). The concerns over their slow counting are right wing propaganda.

[SunSeeker]

5. Because in CA, ballots need only be postmarked on or before Election Day.

The ballot can take 7 days to reach the registrar's office. California accepts postmarked ballots for a week after election night, whereas some states, such as Florida, do not accept them after polls close on Election Day.

Then it has to be inspected and counted. California is the most populace state, so we're talking about more ballots than any other state. It has more than 16 million ballots compared to roughly 11 million in Texas and 8 million in New York. 800,000 ballots still await counting in California today.

But before a ballot can be counted, the registrar has to make sure that person did not vote more than once and that there are no defects with the ballot (undated, unsigned or signature does not match registration card, stray marks, etc.). If there are any defects, it is set aside and an attempt is made to contact the voter. Once the voter is reached, they're given time to "cure" (fix) the issue with the ballot.

There are 129,286 ballots in California still needing to undergo the curing process. I know one of the volunteers helping to reach voters and getting them to cure their ballots. California allows until Dec. 1 to cure problem ballots from voters who made a mistake. https://www.dailynews.com/2024/11/16/whats-taking-california-so-long-to-count-its-ballots-from-election-day/

California values getting each person's vote counted over speed. I am proud of my state. California respects its voters. The rest of the country will just have to cool its heels. Democracy takes time.

Republicans in CA routinely criticize the month it takes to certify elections counts in California, insinuating that cheating is going on. But the time spent means just the opposite: ballots are being inspected and cheating (i.e., double voting, or fraudulent signatures) is being caught. The criticism is totally unfair.

[SunSeeker]

7. It's respect for democracy. nt

[SunSeeker]

6. See post #5.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219731971#post5