Ventura County Records Highest Primary Turnout in Decades as Races Take Shape
(CLAIR | Simi Valley, CA) — Ventura County voters turned out for this June's gubernatorial primary at rates not seen since 1990. Whether driven by frustration with the economy, a desire for new leadership or simply the weight of a consequential moment, the 44.2% who did show up made their voices heard. Still, more than half of registered voters did not cast a ballot.
Ventura County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Michelle Ascencion certified the county's results from the June 2 Gubernatorial Primary Election last week. According to Ascencion's office, local turnout of 44.21% was the highest for a gubernatorial primary in the county in over three decades and exceeded the current statewide turnout of 40.8%. The local tallies will be incorporated into the California Secretary of State's statewide certification on July 10.
Of the 525,292 voters registered in Ventura County as of May 18, a total of 232,223 returned ballots, according to the county Elections Office. The overwhelming majority, 91.5%, voted by mail, while 8.5% cast ballots in person at one of the county's 53 vote centers.
For Simi Valley and Moorpark residents, the results shape what comes next in November. In the race for governor, Republican Steve Hilton led in Ventura County with 30.2% of the local vote, followed by Democrat Xavier Becerra at 28.2% and Democrat Tom Steyer at 21.2%. Statewide, according to unofficial results from the California Secretary of State, Becerra received 28.1%, Hilton received 24.7% and Steyer received 22.8%. Both Hilton and Becerra advanced to the Nov. 3 General Election under California's top-two primary system.
The governor's race drew a crowded field of more than 60 candidates.
In the 42nd Assembly District race, which covers much of Simi Valley and Moorpark, Democrat Deborah Klein Lopez claimed the top spot districtwide with 52.7% of the vote, followed by Republican Ted Nordblum at 25.7% and Rocky Rhodes at 21.6%, according to the California Secretary of State. In Ventura County, Klein Lopez received 51.3% of the local vote, Nordblum got 25.7% and Rhodes trailed with 22.9%. Klein Lopez and Nordblum advance to November.
On the county level, 4th District Supervisor Janice Parvin avoided a runoff entirely, winning outright with 68.7% of the vote against challenger Ruth Luevanos, who received 31.3%. Under county election rules, a candidate who clears 50% plus one vote claims the seat in the primary.
Of the eight county contests on the ballot, seven were decided in June, according to the county Elections Office. Only the County Superintendent of Schools race heads to a November runoff.
The results reflect a clean, well-documented process. After Election Day, county officials conducted the One Percent Manual Tally from June 11 to 16, a state-required hand count of a random sample of ballots that confirms the accuracy of machine tabulation. It serves as the post-election counterpart to pre-election equipment testing, with both processes working together to verify that ballot-counting machines performed accurately.
"This election, as with every election, I am so proud of the hard working and dedicated group that makes it all happen," Ascencion said, citing full-time elections staff, Clerk and Recorder division employees, temporary hires and county employees from other agencies who contributed to the effort. "Everyone puts in long days back to back for weeks on end, both before and after Election Day, in service to our community and democracy."
Certified final results are available at vote.venturacounty.gov.