Political group says they will file for recount in DHS Mayor’s Race
UPDATE: The Director of the Riverside County Leadership Forum, Steve Grasha, says his group will file a recount request with the Desert Hot Springs City Clerk Thursday afternoon in the close race for Desert Hot Springs Mayor.
The Riverside County Registrar Kari Verjil, confirms that any registered voter in Riverside County can request a recount in a political race. Verjil says that if the recount is filed with the Desert Hot Springs City Clerk, her office has 7 calendar days in which to begin the recount process.
Grasha says the group is not filing on behalf of either candidate, but only looking for an open and fair election process.
UPDATE: Final election results are now certified. Sanchez beats Parks by 12 votes. The last day for a recount to be requested is November 18th.
Riverside County Registrar Kari Verjil confirmed by phone earlier Tuesday to our reporter Scott Hennessee that the DHS Mayoral vote count will not change. Sanchez is the next Mayor of DHS.
Parks said on Friday, when she was still in the lead, that if the election swung towards Sanchez, she would ask for a recount. Verjil says no request has been made for a recount yet. The deadline to request a recount is 5 p.m. November 18th.
When Sanchez becomes Mayor it will open up his Council seat. According to the law that seat will go to the candidate with the next highest number of votes, which is this case would be Jan Pye.
ORIGINAL STORY:
New election results were posted Saturday at noon, and now show that Councilman Adam Sanchez has beaten Mayor Yvonne Parks by 12 votes in the race for Desert Hot Springs Mayor.
The vote count was :
Vote Count Percent ADAM SANCHEZ 1,042 43.20% JOHN-PAUL VALDEZ 340 14.10% YVONNE PARKS 1,030 42.70% Total 2,412 100.00%
On the Riverside County Registrar’s website, the Registrar Kari Verjil stated that ballot counting is now complete. Final unofficial election results are now posted. The Registrar of Voters was prepared to certify election results today (Saturday), but postponed that step because of the Veterans Day Holiday Weekend. Official Certification of the election will take place Tuesday, November 12.
Both Sanchez and Parks have been part of city leadership for several years. Sanchez began on the council in 2011, and Parks in 2005.
With Sanchez’s win, this will be the first time Desert Hot Springs has had a new mayor in seven years.
But, Parks does have the right to contest the results and ask for a recount.
Parks and Sanchez have not returned calls seeking comment Saturday afternoon. On Friday, when she held a narrow lead in the vote count, Parks told us she would ask for a recount if the numbers swung in favor of Sanchez.
“Nowhere are you gonna find 159 votes that come out of nowhere, enough said,” Parks told us Friday. “I will be asking for a recount if he (Sanchez) goes over.”
The registrar’s office says the official results are scheduled for Tuesday afternoon but if the election is contested, the results may not be final for some time.
