Updated at 5:30 p.m. 

Democrat Adam Gray declared victory over incumbent Rep. John Duarte in California’s 13th Congressional District early Tuesday evening. Click here to read the full story.

Updated at 3:12 p.m. 

Adam Gray has slightly widened his lead over Rep. John Duarte. Gray currently has a 165 vote lead, holding 105,421 votes, over Duarte’s 105,256.

Original Story

Just when everyone thought an election couldn’t get any closer.

Democrat Adam Gray is now ahead of incumbent Republican Rep. John Duarte by just 143 votes in the race for the 13th Congressional District, 105,331 votes to 105,188 respectively, according to the California Secretary of State.

As of Sunday, Gray had been ahead of Duarte by 227 votes. He lost ground Monday, as the latest updates came in from Merced, San Joaquin and Madera counties. Those updates are expected to be the last for those counties, pending final confirmation of the vote.

Although the end is near, the race is by no means over. Stanislaus and Fresno counties are expected to update their results Tuesday. But time is winding down, as all California counties must certify their elections by Thursday.

Campaigns Focus on Ballot Curing

The tight race couldn’t be more tense for the Gray and Duarte campaigns.

Despite the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, there was no rest for either campaign over the past few days. Over the weekend volunteers for both campaigns were out and about, assisting with a process called “ballot curing.”

After a voter fills out their ballot, they must sign the front of the envelope before sending it off.

But sometimes there are complications. For example, the signature might not match the one on file for the voter, or they didn’t sign it altogether.

When that happens, election workers request another signature from the voter to make sure the ballot can be processed. The practice is called “ballot curing.” 

Merced County Registrar of Voters Melvin Levey said his office has seen an average number of ballots that need to be cured this year.

Because of the razor-thin margin in the 13th Congressional District, however, the number of volunteers interested in getting those ballots cured has been much bigger this year.

“We are seeing a lot more activity from campaigns and candidates to have volunteers reach out to voters whose signatures have been challenged so they can cure it,” Levey told KVPR.

Levey said volunteers from both campaigns were out knocking on doors throughout Thanksgiving weekend. That work has led to several hundred more votes being counted.

State law says voters have until 48 hours prior to certification to sign an affidavit that would certify their vote. For Merced County, Levey said that period ended 5 p.m. Sunday, as he plans to certify the election Tuesday.

“Every vote matters, every vote counts,” Levey said. “We’re seeing that in real time here.”

Other Close Local Races

The race between Gray and Duarte isn’t the only close contest. In the Livingston mayor’s race incumbent Jose Moran is ahead of challenger Jason Roth, but only by nine votes, 1,475 to 1,466 respectively.

In the race for Atwater City Council District 2, former probation chief Kalisa Rochester is ahead of challenger Adrian Lopez-Juarez by only 60 votes, 1,063 to 1,003 respectively.

About the Authors

Victor Patton is editor-in-chief of The Merced FOCUS.

Rachel Livinal is the Higher Education Reporter for The Merced FOCUS.