Voter Turnout Is Key as SC County Assessor Race Hits Home Stretch

"More than a million ballots are in the mail. The first votes will be counted in less than a week. The Santa Clara County Assessor's runoff off election is jogging into the homestretch toward Election Day, Dec. 30. December 30? That's right. An election cycle that began more than five months ago in the bright sun of the summer solstice with the resignation/retirement of Assessor Larry Stone ends in the shadows of its winter counterpart."

"Assistant County Assessor Neysa Fligor and three-time congressional candidate Rishi Kumar topped the field in November and face each other in a runoff election to fill a post left vacant for the first time in more than three decades. The final, official count of the Nov. 4 election was announced Tuesday, showing Fligor with 38% and Kumar with 24% of the vote. Saratoga Councilmember Yan Zhao was a close third with 21% and Eastside Union School District board President Bryan Do tallied 17%."

"Turnout in the assessor runoff voting that begins this week will hold the key. The two finalists have to contend with potential voters distracted by the holidays, nearly empty campaign coffers and the absence of turnout-boosting state redistricting and county sales tax ballot initiatives. Even with the near-record special election turnout of nearly 52%, fewer than 44% weighed in on the hotly contested assessor race. Nearly 86,000 county voters left the assessor choices blank."

More than a million ballots were mailed for the Dec. 30 Santa Clara County Assessor runoff. The election follows Assessor Larry Stone's resignation/retirement and will begin vote counts in less than a week. Neysa Fligor and Rishi Kumar advanced from November; Fligor received 38% and Kumar 24% in the Nov. 4 final count. Despite near‑record overall turnout near 52%, fewer than 44% voted on the assessor race, and nearly 86,000 voters left that choice blank. Runoff turnout could be about half of November's total; Fligor spent about $300,000, had $55,582 on hand, $111,500 in debt, and received South Bay AFL‑CIO committee support.

Read at San Jose Inside