Paulding still ahead in SLO County supervisor race recount, new election data shows
San Luis Obispo County is 10 days into a manual recount of the District 4 Board of Supervisors race, and the tally is so far identical to the original count.
According to ballots counted from five of the 23 precincts to be recounted, Arroyo Grande City Councilperson Jimmy Paulding has 3,164 votes, while incumbent Lynn Compton has 2,196 — the same results as the original count.
On Tuesday, the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office will sort more ballots that will then be tallied later in the week, County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano said.
Recounts occur in teams of four people — one person reads the ballot and calls out the vote, two others tally the vote and a fourth person checks the call and the tally for accuracy, Cano said
Two teams of four people execute the recount on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and three teams of four handle the recount on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Cano said.
Paso Robles resident Darcia Stebbens requested a recount to motivate the county to improve its election process, she told The Tribune on July 20.
“We’re just concerned citizens trying to improve the system,” she said.
According to the original certified election tally of all District 4 precincts, Arroyo Grande City Councilmember Jimmy Paulding defeated incumbent Lynn Compton by 639 votes.
The recount will cost about $103,186 and last about 36 days, Cano said, and Stebbens must cover the cost because she requested the count.
Stebbens declined to comment on how she was paying for the recount, but the Republican Party of San Luis Obispo County posted a flier asking for donations for the recount on Facebook.
This story was originally published August 1, 2022 at 6:41 PM.
