Mitchell will take seat once results are certified, another special election will ensue

by Brian Leubitz

Asm. (soon to be Sen.) Holly Mitchell was the big winner on Tuesday, as she took over 80% of the vote in what was SD-26 and will be SD-30. She’ll be sworn in once the final vote is certified.

Of course, Mitchell’s victory means that the wheel keeps on turning. Her assembly seat will need a special election later in the year. Gov. Brown will set that date once Mitchell is sworn into the Senate.

In the other election, over in AD-45, Matt Dababneh was the leading Democratic vote getter at 24.6%. He will face off against Republican Susan Shelley in a run-off in the highly Democratic district.

Around 40% of registrations came online since September 17, 2012 kickoff of online registration

by Brian Leubitz

The elections carousel keeps on chugging around, as two more districts follow up from LA City Council elections. The two districts in play are AD-45, where a huge crowd of candidates seeks to replace Bob Blumenfield, and SD-26, where Holly Mitchell and Mervin Evans are looking to replace Curren Price.

In AD-45, the race will likely go to another round, as seven Democrats, three Republicans, and 1 NPP are vying for the race. The district is heavily Democratic, so the risk of having one of those strange upset races because of too many candidates in one party shouldn’t be that high. I mentioned the race a while back, but with as many variables in play, who knows what will happen. However, it appears that Damian Carroll and Matt Dababneh are the two strongest progressive Democrats.

Meanwhile in SD-26 (soon to be SD-30), Asm. Holly Mitchell is looking to move down the hall to the Senate, and is the strong frontrunner.

It is appropriate that voters should be going to the polls as we approach the anniversary of the online voter registration. In the 12 months since Secretary of State Debra Bowen launched the online voter registration application on September 19, 2012, more than 911,145 Californians have registered for the first time or updated their voter record using this online system.

“The Internet replaced the mailbox for about 4 out of every 10 people who registered or updated their voter record since California began offering online voter registration last year,” said Secretary of State Debra Bowen, California’s chief elections official. “Registering to vote has never been easier and with the many options available, there are no excuses not to.”

You can register to vote at registertovote.ca.gov/.