Thirty-five percent of Orange County voters participated in the June primary election, according to the state registrar of voters, who certified Orange County’s recent election results.
Of those who voted, 88.6 percent did so by mail while 11.4 percent cast a ballot in person at one of the county’s 181 voting centers.
This election received 636,497 ballots—0.2 percent higher than the 2018 primary election’s 635,224 and 87 percent higher than the 340,187 in 2014.
The county certified the results on June 25—ahead of the July 7 deadline—after completing two audits.
The first audit compares hand-counted results to the results of the county’s voting system, while the second audit, which utilized state-approved auditing software, achieved a 95 percent confidence rate in the elections’ outcome, according to the registrar.
An accuracy testing of the county’s voting system equipment was also conducted, according to Registrar Bob Page.
“This was the first Orange County election I have administered as registrar of voters, and I could not be more pleased with the level of focus, accuracy, and integrity that my team demonstrated,” Page said. “We worked diligently to serve the voters of Orange County, providing them with equal access to the election process, protecting the integrity of their votes, and maintaining a transparent, accurate, and fair elections process.”
Below are the certified results of Orange County’s elections.
US Representative
38th District
Democrat Linda T. Sanchez, with 49.5 percent of the vote, will face off in the November general election against Republican Eric J. Ching, who had 36.7 percent of the vote. The district includes a portion of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, including the whole cities of Norwalk, Diamond Bar, Walnut, Montebello, Whittier, La Habra, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, Santa Fe Springs, and Pico Rivera, and portions of Downey, Pomona, and Industry.
40th District
Democrat Asif Mahmood, who received 41 percent of the vote, will run in November against incumbent Republican Young Kim who received 33.7 percent of the vote. The district includes portions of Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, including the whole cities of Aliso Viejo, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Tustin, and Villa Park, and portions of the cities of Anaheim, Brea, Chino Hills, Corona, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, Orange, and Yorba Linda.
45th District
Republican Michelle Steel with 49 percent of the vote will go head-to-head with Democratic challenger Jay F. Chen, who had 40 percent of the vote. The district includes portions of Los Angeles and Orange counties, including the whole cities of Artesia, Buena Park, Cerritos, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Hawaiian Gardens, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Placentia, and Westminster, and portions of the cities of Brea, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Lakewood, and Yorba Linda.
46th District
Democrat Lou Correa, with 49.1 percent of the vote, will face Republican Christopher J. Gonzales with 15.5 percent of the vote in November. The district includes a portion of Orange County, including the whole cities of Santa Ana and Stanton, and portions of Anaheim, Fullerton, Garden Grove, and Orange.
47th District
Democrat Katie Porter took 51.7 percent of the vote in the primary and will now face off with Republican Scott Baugh, who received 30.8 percent of the vote. The district includes a portion of Orange County, including the whole cities of Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Newport Beach, and Seal Beach, and portions of Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, and Laguna Woods.
49th District
Mike Levin, a Democrat, received 42.6 percent of the vote during the June 7 primary and will face Bryan Maryott, who got 17.76 percent, in November. Maryott narrowly beat out fellow Republican Lisa Bartlett by 0.01 percent. The district includes portions of Orange and San Diego counties, including the whole cities of Carlsbad, Dana Point, Del Mar, Encinitas, Laguna Niguel, Oceanside, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Solana Beach, and Vista, and a portion of Laguna Beach.
California Assembly
59th District
Republican Phillip Chen has won 99.1 percent of the vote, followed by write-in candidate Leon Q. Sit earning 0.78 percent. The district includes the whole cities of Chino Hills, Brea, Placentia, Yorba Linda, and Villa Park, as well as portions of the cities of Anaheim, Fullerton, Orange, and Chino.
64th District
Republican Raul Ortiz Jr. with 43.2 percent of the vote, will face off in November against Rose Espinoza, a Democrat, who received 21.5 percent of the vote. The district includes the whole cities of Santa Fe Springs, Bell Gardens, Downey, La Mirada, Bell, Norwalk, Cudahy, and La Habra.
67th District
Democrat Sharon Quirk-Silva with 48.1 percent of the vote, will run in November against Republican Soo Yoo, who received 38.7 percent. The district includes the whole cities of Cerritos, La Palma, Hawaiian Gardens, Artesia, Buena Park, and Cypress, as well as portions of the cities of Fullerton and Anaheim.
68th District
Avelino Valencia, a Democrat and current Anaheim City councilman, received 48.2 percent of the vote. He will face off in November against Republican Mike Tardif, who received 23.5 percent of the vote. The district includes portions of the cities of Santa Ana, Orange, and Anaheim.
70th District
Diedre Thu-Ha Nguyen, a Democrat with 39.7 percent of the vote, will run in November against Tri Ta, a Republican, with 21.2 percent of the vote. The district includes the whole cities of Westminster, Stanton, Los Alamitos, Fountain Valley, and Garden Grove, as well as portions of the cities of Seal Beach, Santa Ana, and Huntington Beach.
71st District
Matt Rahn received 51.8 percent of the vote, with Kate Sanchez at 48.1 percent. The two Republicans will be on the ballot again in November. The district includes the whole cities of Wildomar, Murrieta, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, and Temecula.
72nd District
Judie Mancuso, a Democrat, and Republican Diane Dixon are in a tight race in the primary with 43.3 percent and 42.6 percent, respectively, and both will advance to the general election. The district includes the whole cities of Laguna Hills, Aliso Viejo, Newport Beach, Laguna Woods, Laguna Beach, and Lake Forest, as well as portions of the cities of Seal Beach and Huntington Beach.
73rd District
Democrat Cottie Petrie-Norris will face Republican Steven Choi in the November general election, with 56.2 percent and 43.7 percent votes in the primary respectively. The district includes the whole cities of Costa Mesa and Irvine, as well as portions of the city of Tustin.
74th District
Laurie Davis, a Republican, has a comfortable lead over Democrat Chris Duncan, with 57.9 percent votes compared to Duncan’s 42 percent. The two will meet again in the November election. The district includes the whole cities of Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, Oceanside, San Juan Capistrano, Vista, and San Clemente and issues related to the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base.
Education
Orange County Superintendent of Schools
Incumbent Al Mijares won 54.8 percent of the vote to challenger Stefan Bean’s 45.1 percent. This race is decided by the primary. There is no advancement to the general election.
Orange County Board of Education Trustee (Area 2)
Incumbent Mari Barke retained her seat with 58.7 percent of the vote over challengers Martha Fluor, with 31.9 percent, and Christopher R. Ganiere, with 9.2 percent. This race is decided in the primary.
Orange County Board of Education Trustee (Area 4, Short Term)
Tim Shaw won back his seat on the education board with 49.9 percent of the vote, compared to the next highest vote-getter, Paulette Chaffee, who received 33.3 percent of the vote.
Orange County Board of Education Trustee (Area 5)
Incumbent Lisa Sparks retained her seat after beating challenger Sherine Smith by a vote of 64.7 percent to 35.2 percent.
Orange County Supervisor
Orange County Supervisor 2nd District
Vicente Sarmiento continues to lead in this race with 35 percent of the votes, compared to Kim Nguyen at 22.2 percent. The top two vote-getters will face off in November.
Orange County Supervisor 4th District
In a close race, Sunny Park has 35.8 percent of the vote, compared to incumbent Doug Chaffee with 32.4 percent, and Steven Vargas with 31.7 percent.
Orange County Supervisor 5th District
Katrina Foley and Patricia Bates appear to be headed to a runoff in November with 41.7 percent and 22.1 percent of the vote respectively.
Other Orange County Offices
Assessor
Claude Parrish, incumbent, will retain his seat with 70.8 percent of the vote. Competitors Richard Foster earned 25 percent, and Larry Bales brought in 4.11 percent of the vote.
Auditor-Controller
Andrew N. Hamilton, with no competitors, was elected with 443,254 votes.
Clerk-Recorder
Incumbent Hugh Nguyen will also retain his seat winning 84.5 percent of the vote, over challengers Sandy Kimble and Steve Rocco with 8.1 percent and 7.3 percent votes respectively.
District Attorney
Incumbent Todd Spitzer has retained his position as Orange County DA with 62.4 percent of the vote over second-place challenger Pete Hardin, who received 21.2 percent of the vote.
Sheriff-Coroner
With no competitors, incumbent Sheriff Don Barnes has been reelected with 476,504.
Treasurer-Tax Collector
With no competitors, incumbent Shari L. Freidenrich won reelection with 478,368.
Ballot Measures
Huntington Beach Measure A (Cannabis Business Tax)
The measure barely missed the two-thirds approval it needed to pass, with 64.5 percent “yes” votes and 35.4 percent “no” votes.
Newport Beach Measure B (Direct Election of Mayor)
A measure that would allow voters to elect the mayor of Newport Beach was defeated with 58.6 percent “no” votes compared to 41.3 percent “yes” votes.
Westminster Measure C (Eliminate Office of Elective Mayor and Increase Councilors from 4 to 5)
This measure also was defeated with “no” votes at 59.9 percent and “yes” at 40 percent.
Micaela Ricaforte
Author
Micaela Ricaforte covers education in Southern California for The Epoch Times. In addition to writing, she is passionate about music, books, and coffee.