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
This race is about becoming Los Angeles' top prosecutor. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is the largest local prosecutorial office in the U.S., and its influence is felt far beyond L.A. County borders. The DA determines when to file criminal charges for felony crimes committed throughout the county, as well as misdemeanor crimes committed in the county’s unincorporated areas and all but 10 of its 88 cities.
Why this race mattered
Los Angeles County finds itself at a crossroads when it comes to key issues such as social justice and criminal prosecution. And the two candidates in this race represented starkly different approaches.
Incumbent D.A. George Gascón rolled back many of the policies of previous district attorneys in what he says is an effort to reduce mass incarceration, as well as address racial disparities in the justice system. He stopped prosecuting lesser crimes such as driving without a valid license, rarely prosecuted juveniles as adults, and never sought the death penalty in cases in which the law allows it.
Because of these and other policies, people who support a tough-on-crime approach wanted Gascón out. In the March primary, Gascón faced a field of 11 challengers.
After the primary, the field of challengers was reduced to one: Nathan Hochman, a criminal defense attorney who is also a former federal prosecutor in L.A. He campaigned on a promise to ramp up the prosecution of misdemeanors, and other law-and-order issues such as promising to bring murder charges against those who sell fentanyl to anyone who overdoses and dies.
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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
Go deeper on the issues
- What does the District Attorney do?
- What should justice look like? Your vote for LA County DA is a choice between 2 visions
- Misdemeanors 'can haunt a person for life': Why LA's DA stopped charging many of them
