Officials defend California governor's race, say it's accurate not 'rigged'

OAKLAND, Calif. - It took a week, but on Tuesday the Associated Press projects Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra will advance in the California governor's race and face off in November's general election. 

Prolonged ballot count 

Election officials and political experts pushed back against claims of a rigged election, explaining that California's prolonged ballot-counting process is designed to ensure accuracy and maximum voter inclusion.

Democrats significantly outpaced Republicans in total votes, with seven of the top-10 vote-getters belonging to the Democratic Party, leading experts to predict a challenging path ahead for Hilton in the heavily partisan (read blue) state. 

The vote-counting period that has delivered Californians a face-off between a former GOP television commentator and the former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services is something that election officials stress is a reflection of an all-inclusive system designed to ensure every ballot is counted, rather than a product of election rigging.

Election integrity 

Despite outside claims of fraud and vote rigging, election officials defended the integrity of the process. Officials noted that while a Democrat and a Republican will ultimately face each other on the November ballot, the thorough process simply takes time.

"People get frustrated about how long things are gonna take, but they're gonna be accurate and we're proud of that," said Contra Costa County Registrar of Voters Kristin Braun Connelly. "The big bulk of the work would go faster if people voted sooner. But in this election, people held on to their ballots."

Nolan Higdon, a politics professor and historian at UC Santa Cruz, echoed that sentiment, stating that the primary results show no evidence of being rigged against Republican candidates.

"Generally, taking more time and having a more thorough process to get it right is something that strengthens a democracy rather than rushing to a conclusion," Higdon said.

What they're saying:

Voters at the Larkspur ferry terminal expressed agreement with the meticulous counting process.

"It's not rigged," said voter Michel McNab. "We're just a big state with a lot of mail-in ballots that have to be checked and authenticated and properly locked, and that's the way it is. That's the way democracy works."

Other local voters, including Nancy Hamlett and Merrit Jones, supported the state's methodology. Hamlett stated she had no issues with how California runs its primary, while Jones noted that the system performed exactly as it should to deliver a fair election. Officials emphasized that the current framework is designed to give every voter across all locations the maximum opportunity to have their vote included.

Top two candidates advance 

Following the projection, both major candidates drew sharp ideological lines for the upcoming campaign.

"I'm not a politician," Hilton said. "I'm an outsider, running for governor to shake up a system that is obviously not working."

Becerra countered by framing his campaign around accountability to the electorate. "I want to earn your support," Becerra said. "Every Californian deserves a governor who answers to them, not Washington, D.C."

What are the odds?

The political landscape heavily favors the Democratic Party moving into the general election. Among the top 10 vote-getters in the primary, seven are Democrats, two are Republicans, and one is an Independent. In total, Democratic candidates pulled three times as many votes as the two Republican candidates.

Melissa Michaelson, a political expert at Menlo College, indicated that the partisan breakdown creates a steep hill for the Republican nominee.

"It's more likely than not this is going to be an easy path to success for Xavier Becerra," Michaelson said. "It's extremely unlikely, again, given the partisan alignment of most voters in the state, that Hilton will pull this off."

The primary race was also heavily influenced by national politics. President Donald Trump placed himself at the center of the state's contest in two distinct ways: first, by issuing an endorsement of Hilton, and second, by publicly labeling the primary a fraud before local officials could fully process the election results.

 

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