Riverside County voters will still see Swalwell’s name on primary election ballot, but Democrats are unfazed

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. (KESQ) – The primary election is just a little over a month away. But, as the countdown continues, some late changes to the ballot won't be made, including the biggest one: Eric Swalwell's withdrawal from the governor's race.

Swalwell withdrew from the race and resigned from Congress after several sexual assault and misconduct allegations were levied against him.

The Riverside County Registrar of Voters still lists Swalwell on its list of certified candidates, and voters can expect to see his name still listed on the ballot this June. His withdrawal earlier this month came after ballots began printing.

A spokesperson for the registrar sent the following statement explaining the law around the ballots:

Under California election law, once candidates for Governor are officially certified and the ballot is finalized, names cannot be removed if a candidate later decides to withdraw from the race.  For this reason, a candidate who withdraws after certification will still appear on the ballot.

Any votes cast for the candidate will be counted as valid votes. California does not reassign or transfer those votes to another candidate. Each vote is recorded exactly as cast by the voter.

If a withdrawn candidate were to receive the highest number of votes in the gubernatorial election, California law provides mechanisms to address the situation. Depending on the timing and circumstances, this could result in a vacancy that is filled according to state procedures, including succession by the Lieutenant Governor or other actions outlined in state law.

News Channel 3 spoke with local Democrats at the Democratic Headquarters of the Desert in Cathedral City on Monday.

They said they haven't received any calls inquiring about Swalwell, calling it a "dead issue" and arguing focus had shifted toward other frontrunners in the race, like Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer. They were confident voters are informed and will not cast their ballots for a candidate that dropped out of the race.

They listed changes to mail-in voting and voter registration as the two bigger concerns they're tracking.

We'll have more of their comments and concerns regarding the election in our full report tonight at 5:00 p.m. Stay with us for the latest.