Longtime school board member and city council candidate Lisa Kaplan is embraced by her partner B.G. Heiland as cheers erupt when first ballot returns show her leading with 51% of the vote. / NatomasBuzz.com Photo
BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
Candidates with governance experience have the early lead in Natomas races, according to Election Day returns posted shortly after midnight Wednesday.
Longtime Natomas Unified school board member and attorney Lisa Kaplan has 50.5% of tallied votes in her bid to represent north Natomas and Robla on the Sacramento City Council.
“Numbers are not final,” Kaplan told supporters Tuesday night, when the first returns showed her leading with 51% of the vote shortly after 8 p.m. “Let’s wait for 10, let’s wait for midnight. If they expand, (that’s) good. But really, let’s wait for Friday and Tuesday, because the county has to vote.”
Kaplan needs at least 50.01% to avoid a runoff in November.
“I am incredibly humbled and honored with the initial early election results in my race for Sacramento City Council,” Kaplan told The Natomas Buzz. “It is important that every vote is counted, so I remain cautiously optimistic and eagerly await the next release of votes in my race this Friday.”
Her opponents, real estate agent Alyssa Lozano has 26.7% of the vote and environmental nonprofit leader Nate Pelczar sits at 18.9%. Business owner Robert Alvis trails with 3.9% of the votes tallied.
Early returns for three candidates vying to represent south Natomas, Gardenland and Northgate neighborhoods on the Sacramento City Council point to a tighter race and likely runoff in November.
Sacramento County school board member and chief of staff for Vice Mayor Angelique Ashby, Karina Talamantes, currently leads with 48.6% of the votes tallied.
“Grateful to finish first,” Talamantes told The Natomas Buzz. “We have the momentum, and are looking at what’s ahead this way: winning outright would be nice, but a runoff means engaging even more residents on the issues that matter to them.”
Youth advocate Michael Lynch currently sits at 40.3% and healthcare professional Adrianne Gonzales has 11.1% of the tallied votes.
“I’m proud of the campaign I’ve run and am thankful for the incredible work of my team and all of the volunteers who have been tirelessly talking to voters over the last five months,” Lynch told The Natomas Buzz. “I also want to thank everyone who voted in this election. I look forward to continuing to campaign hard through the November runoff and earning the support of our community.”
Incumbent Rebecca Sandoval currently holds a healthy lead with 64% of the votes in the race for the Area 6 seat on the Twin Rivers Unified school board. Opponent Robbie Robbins currently sits at 36%.
With thousands of ballots yet to be processed and counted, Sacramento County elections officials today said election results will not be finalized for several days.
Data shows that voter turnout was historically low yesterday, even for a Primary Election. According to numbers released Wednesday, about 20% of Sacramento County’s registered voters cast ballots in the election.
The next vote count update is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday.
City council candidate Karina Talamantes crosses her fingers while talking to developer David Bugatto at a watch party on election night. / NatomasBuzz.com Photo
[…] school board member and attorney Lisa Kaplan continues to lead in District 1 and appears to be holding off a runoff in November. Kaplan has 3,215 of the votes tallied or 50.5% in her bid to represent north Natomas and Robla; […]