With only a few days left to count the remaining ballots, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian has a four-vote lead on Assemblymember Evan Low in California’s District 16 congressional race as the two battle it out for the second spot in the general election.
Simitian and Low have had several lead changes since Election Day, but recently, the margin between them has been microscopic, with sometimes just one vote separating them. On Thursday, Simitian was able to pull ahead by eight votes, only to have his lead shrink back by four on Friday.
But time is running out for both candidates to pick up new votes as counties have until April 4 to certify the results.
The remaining ballots in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, where the district falls, are nearly all challenged ballots, meaning there was an issue with the voter’s signature. Voters have until April 2 at 5 p.m. to fix them.
San Mateo County lists 452 challenged ballots countywide, while Santa Clara County has 600 as of Friday. No new results are expected until Monday.
Either Simtian or Low will face former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo in the general election, who has held a commanding lead of roughly 8,000 votes over his competitors.