Absentee Ballot Count Confirms Win by Golding

Absentee ballots counted Friday confirmed Susan Golding’s victory in this week’s San Diego mayoral election, giving her an insurmountable lead of nearly 17,000 votes over rival Peter Navarro, with only about 8,000 ballots remaining to be tabulated.

After the second day of counting the nearly 94,000 absentee ballots, Golding has stretched her 13,668-vote Election Night lead by about 3,200, according to figures released by the San Diego County registrar of voters.

The ballots tabulated Friday increased Golding’s vote total to 220,598 (52%), compared to 203,725 votes (48%) for Navarro--giving her a lead nearly twice as large as the number of absentee ballots remaining to be counted Monday.

“We declared victory several days ago, and it’s wonderful to see that my lead continues to widen,” said Golding, a two-term county supervisor. “It’s nice to have any doubt removed.”

In another closely watched race, the absentee ballots narrowed but apparently will not threaten Democrat Tom Connolly’s upset victory over Republican Steve Baldwin in the 77th Assembly District. Connolly’s lead now stands at 4,390 votes, about 670 less than on Election Night--63,555 (47.9%), compared to 59,165 (44.6%). Two minor-party candidates drew about 10,000 votes combined in that race.

Although the absentee ballots tabulated as of Friday had not altered the outcome in any major local race, they did change--at least temporarily--the result of several minor contests.

In a race for one of four seats on the San Miguel Consolidated Fire Protection District board, Clarence Kaufman, who led Bob Cederdahl by 39 votes after Thursday’s tabulation had ended, now finds himself trailing by 11 votes--11,629 to 11,618.

Similarly, a race for a seat on the Sweetwater Union High School District has flip-flopped three times since Election Night. Bob Griego, who ended Tuesday night 59 votes ahead of Bob White, only to fall 4 votes behind after the first batch of absentee ballots was counted Thursday, regained a 13-vote lead Friday--22,212 votes to 22,199.