Ballot Count Update: Republican Mike Garcia Expands His Lead In CA25. The Margin Is Still Razor-Thin

These results will be continually updated as votes are counted. Last updated on Tuesday, November 17 at 5:15 PM.

Two weeks after the close of polls on Nov. 3, the race for California’s 25th congressional district remains too close to call.

With the addition of Los Angeles and Ventura County’s latest ballot count, released Tuesday afternoon, incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Garcia now leads Democratic Assemblymember Christy Smith by 422 votes. His thin margin has widened by a couple hundred votes since last week.

The district is mostly in north Los Angeles County — including Porter Ranch, Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley cities of Palmdale and Lancaster — but also has a portion of eastern Ventura County that includes Simi Valley. Almost four times as many votes were cast in L.A. County, but Garcia’s advantage in the more conservative Ventura County is providing his lead.

If Garcia keeps his seat it will be another victory for Republicans, who already flipped two Orange County districts that had turned blue in 2018.

[Read more about the issues animating this congressional race, and the recent history of the 25th District.]

Thanks to a deadline extension approved by a California legislature anticipating possible COVID-19 complications, ballots that were postmarked by Election Day will still be counted if they arrive by Friday. Ventura County will release its next canvassing update on Thursday; L.A.’s next update is scheduled for Friday.

With Tuesday's update, L.A. County turnout sits at a bit over 75% of registered voters. That number should rise as more of the estimated 66,245 outstanding ballots are counted.

Most of those outstanding ballots are mail-in ballots that have reached the county registrar after election day, and “conditional registrations” -- often people who registered to vote and cast a ballot on the same day. Those votes take extra time to count because election officials must verify each voter’s eligibility.

The complete turnout picture won’t become clear until the post-election canvass (or counting) is over and the election is certified. The Secretary of State will certify the entire vote statewide by Dec. 11.

If you want to visually compare participation rates so far, USC’s Center For Inclusive Democracy has an interactive map of turnout per precinct in L.A. County. You’ll notice a pattern of higher turnout in wealthier parts of the county -- including Pasadena and West L.A.

RESULTS WE HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING CLOSELY

In L.A.

• Jackie Lacey Concedes DA Race
• Measure J Passed: LA County Voters Approve Redirecting Funding To Alternatives To Incarceration
• LA County Board Of Supervisors District 2: Holly Mitchell Wins
• LA City Council District 4: Nithya Raman Wins
• LA City Council District 10: Mark Ridley-Thomas Wins
• LAUSD District 3: Scott Schmerelson Wins
• LAUSD District 7: Ortiz Franklin Wins, After Castellanos Concedes

Statewide

• Prop 14 Passes: Stem Cell Research Funding
• Prop 15 Fails: The Property Tax 'Split Roll' Initiative
• Prop 16 Fails: California's Affirmative Action Ban Stands
• Prop 17 Passes: Parolees Will Be Able To Vote In California
• Prop 18 Fails: 17-year-olds Won't Vote In Primaries
• Prop 19 Passes: Property Tax Transfers And Inheritances
• Prop 20 Fails: Voters Reject Effort To Roll Back Criminal Justice Reforms
• Prop 21 Fails: Voters Turn Back Effort To Expand Rent Control
• Prop 22 Passes: App-Based Drivers Will Remain Contractors
• Prop 23 Fails: Voters Reject New Requirements For Dialysis Clinics
• Prop 24 Passes: Californians Approve Data Privacy Law
• Prop 25 Fails: California Voters Reject Initiative To Replace Cash Bail System

Congress

• Congressional District 25: Mike Garcia v. Christy Smith
• Congressional District 39: Young Kim Wins, Flipping Seat Back To Republicans
• Congressional District 48: Michelle Steel Wins, Claiming Seat For GOP

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