Sac County Democratic Chairperson Schanz Says Election Not Over, Calls 235,000 Uncounted Votes 'Unprecedented'

June 6, 2018 |  

Even though Sacramento County District Attorney Ann Marie Schubert has declared victory, the chair of the Sacramento County Democratic Party is saying "not so quick."

In a statement issued this afternoon, the chairperson of the county party Terry Schanz is noting the unusually high number of uncounted ballots from yesterday's primary for Sacramento County. This high number of uncounted votes could alter any number of races that the Democratic party has focused on, particularly the race for district attorney and sheriff.  

In the press release, Schanz said county election official Alice Jarboe told him during a conversation today that just over 124,000 ballots have been counted. Schanz reports there are over 235,000 uncounted ballots, not including an undetermined vote by mail that were postmarked by June 5. 

This is unprecedented. None of the VBM (vote by mail) ballots that were turned into a vote center or drop box location have yet to be counted," Schanz said. "The process to verify signatures on 235,000 VBM envelopes will take several days to complete."

In the lead up to yesterday election, Sacramento County Democrats were actively supporting the candidacy of Noah Phillips for District Attorney and Milo Fitch for sheriff. Although the offices are non-partisan, incumbent DA Shubert and Sacramento County Sheriff are Republicans and have been criticized for their stances on a number of social justice issues.

According to the most recent times, Schubert leads Phillips by an almost two-to-one margin. Although the uncounted ballots could narrow that margin, large media outlets like the Associated Press and the Sacramento Bee have declared Schubert the victor.

The race for sheriff could be of more significance to the Democratic Party. Even though Jones has 54-percent, and his opponent Donna Cox and Milo Fitch both have roughly 21-percent.

Should Jones' lead drop to less than 50-percent, he would be forced into a runoff with the race's runner-up during the November general election.

This election is not over. The integrity of the ballot counting process is critical to ensure that all votes are accurately counted," Schanz said. "That process can take time. We will closely observe the ballot review and counting process to ensure that all valid ballots are properly counted."