About the vote count
As you watch these results, keep in mind:
- As of Friday, Nov. 15, L.A. election officials said more than 3.73 million ballots had been returned so far.
- An estimated 79,400 remained to be counted.
- There are more than 5.7 million registered voters in L.A. County
- 2.1 million of those registered votes live in the City of L.A.
Get full results:
Keep in mind that in tight races the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after Election Day. This is normal. Here's why.
In L.A. County, additional results, which includes mail-in votes received on or after Election Day as well as provisional ballots, will be released following this schedule:
Mon, Nov. 18 | Tues, Nov. 19 | Fri, Nov. 22 | Tues, Nov. 26
In California, ballots postmarked on or before Nov. 5 are counted toward the results as long as they arrive within seven days of the election. County election officials must certify the results by Dec. 5, and the California Secretary of State's Office must certify the statewide vote by Dec. 13.
What is at stake in this race
The seven members of the L.A. Unified’s board oversee the nation’s second-largest school district, with more than 538,000 students enrolled. The district is also the county’s second-largest employer with more than 74,000 educators, administrators, and support staff on its payroll.
Current board member George McKenna is retiring after a more than 50-year career as a teacher and administrator. The winner of this race represents L.A.’s Mid-City, Crenshaw, Arlington Heights, and Westmont neighborhoods on the school board.
Why this race mattered
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing challenges in the district, including declining enrollment, disparities in student learning, truancy, inadequate mental health support, and lackluster standardized test scores.
Sherlett Hendy Newbill’s experience more closely matches current District 1 board member (and mentor) George McKenna, with decades of experience as a high school leader and strong endorsements from sitting board members and other political leaders. Kahllid Al-Alim’s education credentials are based on his experience as a parent and grassroots organizer, helping push the district to increase funding for Black students and alternatives to policing.
Al-Alim’s campaign lost a groundswell of support and the endorsement of the powerful teachers union after social media posts endorsing antisemitic ideas resurfaced during the primary. Al-Alim has since offered an apology.
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Scott Schmerelson was unanimously elected Tuesday to lead the LAUSD board after defeating a well-funded challenger in November’s election. -
Nguyen was able to take office weeks early to fill the vacancy caused Do’s resignation. -
Nathan Hochman succeeds George Gascón, known as the godfather of progressive prosecutors.
Follow the money
Since the primary, Al-Alim’s campaign has refunded more than $2,000 in contributions, and it has raised zero dollars for the most recent filing period that ran July 1 to Sept. 21. His campaign has spent just $18 in that same period.
Go deeper on the issues
- What does the LAUSD school board do?
- Teachers union officially revokes endorsement of LAUSD candidate
- Teachers unions often pick winning school board candidates. Will this LAUSD election be different?
Senior editor Ross Brenneman contributed to this story.
