Adam Gray pulls ahead of John Duarte in Congressional District 13 race

By Victor A. Patton November 26, 2024

For the first time since Nov. 5, Democrat Adam Gray has pulled ahead of incumbent Republican Rep. John Duarte in the race for Congressional District 13.

Gray leads Duarte by a mere 182 votes, 104,503 to 104,321 respectively, according to the 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26 update from the California Secretary of State.

The latest numbers came Tuesday evening following results released by the Registrar of Voters offices in Merced and Stanislaus counties.

There are still roughly 1,500 outstanding ballots in Merced County, and all of those require a valid cure letter in order to be counted.

More results are also expected to be released this week fom Fresno and Madera counties.

A cure letter is essentially an affidavit signed by the voter to resolve an issue with their ballot. Melvin Levey, Merced County’s Registrar of Voters, said the most common issue is the voter’s signature on the return envelope doesn’t match or cannot be verified.

In other cases, the ballots have no signature at all, or it appears another member of the household may have signed it.

Levey said California law requires each county to follow up with those voters to resolve those issues. There are about six staffers in the Merced County Registrar of Voters Office working on cure-related issues.

“It’s a lot of detailed work,” Levey told The Merced FOCUS, saying his staff will be working through Sunday. “So much of it is because these laws are so specific about how we need to give folks an opportunity to get their vote counted.” 

Levey expects more results will be released by the Merced County Registrar of Voters before 5 p.m. Wednesday. His office expects to release final results by 5 p.m. Monday.

It’s not uncommon for residents to send emails or make phone calls to the Registrar of Voters Office, asking why the count is taking so long.

Levey said he tried to address those questions himself. When he can’t, a member of his staff takes time to explain it to the public.

Gray Campaign Statement As Ballot Count Continues in California’s 13th Congressional District

November 21, 2024

CVV News

Merced, CA — As California continues to count ballots in the race for the 13th Congressional District, election officials are working to ensure every legally cast vote is counted. Many of the outstanding ballots include vote-by-mail, provisional, and conditional ballots, with thousands left to be added to the tally. Adam Gray’s campaign is optimistic about the outcome and encourages patience as the process continues. 

As we await more results, Gray Campaign Manager Ben Rodriguez issued the following statement:

“We always knew that this race would be as close as they come, and we’re expecting a photo finish this year, too. In the meantime, our campaign is encouraged by the results we’ve seen so far – with thousands of vote-by-mail, provisional, and conditional ballots left to be tallied across Stanislaus, Merced, and San Joaquin counties – and we believe that every legally cast vote must be counted. While we continue to wait, we remain confident in Adam’s path to victory.

“Democracy requires a commitment to making sure every lawful vote is included, and it is critical that elections officials continue their work without interruption so every voter’s voice is heard. Adam is honored to be part of this process and is optimistic that he will have the privilege of representing the people of California’s 13th District in Congress. We thank the election and county workers who continue this essential work.”