Above: FOX 5 coverage of the most recent developments in the competition for District 1 supervisor.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Southern California saw another electoral event as South Bay residents headed to the polls for the second time within half a year to elect someone for the vacant District 1 position on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
The Tuesday race held the possibility of filling the position immediately, but initial outcomes reported as of late Tuesday evening Position the contest to proceed with a summer runoff between the top two contenders: Chula Vista Mayor John McCann and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre.
There are still roughly 11,000 votes left to be counted before the results of this special election can be officially confirmed, as estimated by the county Registrar of Voters.
That being said, we can still extract certain insights into how the election unfolded from the information that the Registrar of Voters has released so far.
Firstly, the voter participation rate in the special election was notably low. By Wednesday, officials had tallied votes from approximately 15.4%, or around 57,892, out of an estimated 373,641 registered voters within the district—a significant drop compared to the nearly 75% turnout observed in last year’s presidential election.
As anticipated, this outcome can be attributed to the conditions surrounding the election, including the tight schedule following the November general poll and the propensity for non-election-year votes to attract solely highly motivated participants.
When analyzed according to the Registrar of Voters' precincts, the majority of communities within District 1 experienced participation from fewer than 30% of their registered voters during the special election. There were only two areas where this trend was reversed: one located in Imperial Beach and another situated in Sweetwater, both recording more than 30% voter turnout.
The highest voter participation was observed in and around the cities of Chula Vista and Imperial Beach, with turnout figures oscillating between approximately 20% at the lower limit up to nearly 30%.
Below you can find an interactive map displaying voter turnout.
Not loading correctly? View the map here.
Increased voter participation in those regions might have contributed to McCann and Aguirre distancing themselves from the competition in the initial vote counts reported on election night.
When plotted by voting district, both candidates secured their highest levels of voter backing in areas close to their respective urban centers—McCann garnered substantial support from Chula Vista along with neighboring towns such as Bonita, whereas Aguirre experienced greater approval rates in and around Imperial Beach.
One significant exception to this trend occurred in San Diego’s South Park and Golden Hill areas, where Aguirre was overwhelmingly the top choice amongst those who voted.
The duo failed to secure the highest number of votes in certain sections of District 1 within San Diego city limits, such as portions of San Ysidro and southeastern San Diego, which showed a stronger preference for City Council member Vivian Moreno.
Below you can find an interactive map displaying the distribution of preliminary results from Wednesday.
Not loading correctly? View the map here.
D1 Special Election : What to know | The Candidates | How to vote | More Stories
Additional updates are anticipated over the next few days (these maps will be continually refreshed as new results become available). Based on current standings on Wednesday, the competition seems likely to culminate in a second round run-off scheduled for July 1, featuring McCann versus Aguirre.
To secure victory without needing a runoff, a contender must obtain at least half of all votes cast—quite challenging for both frontrunners considering the substantial number of outstanding ballots still being processed by the elections office.
The winner of the special election will complete the remaining part of ex-Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas' term, serving until January 2029.
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