Updated numbers show no change in Paso groundwater election

The San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office released updated results Friday afternoon for Tuesday’s Paso Robles groundwater management district election, but the numbers changed very little: The formation of the district was resoundingly rejected.

In the election by registered voters to decide whether to approve a parcel tax to fund the proposed district, the updated numbers show 77.34 percent voted against the measure and 22.66 percent voted in favor of it. This compares to the 77.83 percent to 22.17 percent ratio on Election Day.

Since Election Day, 1,097 more votes were counted, bringing the total votes cast to 4,500, or 61.7 percent of the eligible voters. Two-thirds of those who voted need to approve the parcel tax for it to have passed.

Similarly, in the election by landowners on whether the district should be formed, the measure failed 73.10 percent to 26.90 percent. This compares to 74 percent and 26 percent on Election Day.

Since Election Day, 605 more ballots were counted, bringing the total vote county to 3,082, or 63.9 percent of those eligible to vote. A majority of the landowners needed to approve the measure for it to have passed.

County Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong said he plans to announce the official results of the election Thursday after a final handful of replacement ballots have been processed and counted.

This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Updated numbers show no change in Paso groundwater election."