Neysa Fligor's Opponent in Dec. 30 Assessor Runoff Likely To Be Rishi Kumar

"One day after a Nov. 4 Special Election for Santa Clara County assessor, it appeared increasingly likely that frontrunner Neysa Fligor and Rishi Kumar will face off in a runoff election on Dec.30. Fligor pulled away from the field in the assessor contest, but her 38% total fell far short of the 50% required to avoid a runoff. At the end of the day Nov. 5, there remained an estimated 165,800 ballots - about 30% of the total vote - to be counted."

"But in the latest vote count, two clear trends emerged: first, Fligor, the current assistant assessor, continued to pull away from the field, with her margin over Kumar growing to nearly 46,000, from 43,000 a day earlier; second, Kumar, a former Saratoga City Council member and former candidate for Congress, maintained his lead over Saratoga Mayor Van Zhao, growing it slightly to 11,663 votes. The fourth candidate, East Side Union High School District Trustee Bryan Do, fell nearly 2,000 voters further behind Zhao,"

"Historically, such large margins at the 70% vote-count stage have proven to be difficult to overcome. Officials could not estimate when vote counting would be completed. It may take up to 30 days for county elections officials to verify voter records and determine if ballots have been cast by eligible voters. Kumar on election night celebrated his solid second-place position, to the point of optimistically beginning a runoff campaign, despite Zhao looking over his shoulder."

One day after the Nov. 4 special election for Santa Clara County assessor, Neysa Fligor led with 38% but fell short of the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. Approximately 165,800 ballots—about 30% of votes—remained to be counted. Latest tallies showed Fligor extending her margin over Rishi Kumar to nearly 46,000, while Kumar held a 11,663-vote lead over Van Zhao; Bryan Do trailed further with 53,375 votes. Large margins at roughly 70% counted have been difficult to overcome historically. County officials may take up to 30 days to verify ballots. Kumar began a runoff campaign after election night.

Read at San Jose Inside