46th District Recount Extended for Review of Provisional Ballots

A ballot recount in the 46th Congressional District race will conclude today, Registrar of Voters Rosalyn Lever said, when she will certify results of the election.

The recount, which was to have ended Thursday, was extended a day after Democrats requested a review of about 1,100 rejected provisional ballots--those cast by voters whose registration could not be verified at the polling place. The ballots had not been looked at during the recount.

The recount was requested by Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), who lost the Nov. 5 election by 984 votes to Democrat Loretta Sanchez. Dornan’s attorneys have indicated they may take the matter to court. Such a decision must be made by next Thursday.

Democratic recount coordinators said that Sanchez’s margin has risen to 1,009 during the nine-day recounting of ballots.

“We are going to post election results” today, said Lever, talking about the end of the process. “I am not going to recertify the election, I am just going to [post] totals.”