Election update: Candidates for El Dorado Supervisor split by less than 1%

This year, a supervisory election hangs in the balance in El Dorado County. As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, all precincts in the county have reported results following election night, but votes are still being counted. After a Friday update from the El Dorado County elections office, the race for the supervisor’s seat is still tight. Here are the results so far on that and other local measures as of 11 a.m. Saturday:

El Dorado County’s race for supervisor District 2

Election night results indicated that former Cal Fire director Ken Pimlott had taken a narrow, but noticeable lead in the race for El Dorado County’s District 2 supervisor seat. But by Friday, that lead had evaporated and his rival, business owner and pastor George Turnboo, had claimed it for himself.

As of Wednesday, Pimlott had received 46.7% of the vote, while Turnboo had 42.86%, a difference of less than 1,000 votes. Now, Turnboo has managed a lead of less than 1%. Less than 300 votes separate the two as of Friday, but there are precious few votes left to count.

The El Dorado County elections office said on Friday that it had counted all in-person and mail-in ballots, meaning that the vast majority of votes for Turnboo and Pimlott were already tallied. A small portion of provisional ballots, military ballots and late mail-ins still need to be reviewed, which may be enough to change the course of the race for District 2.

During a livestream on election night, when early results were in his favor, Pimlott held off on declaring himself the winner until more votes had come in.

“But it’s very encouraging for sure,” he said.

Pimlott retired from his position at Cal Fire in December 2018.

The supervisory race headed to a runoff between the two after a tight race in March. At the time, seven candidates were on the ballot, and none surpassed the 50% threshold to win office. Turnboo received 26% of the vote in March, while Pimlott received about 23%.

Additionally, County Supervisor John Hidahl was reelected in District 1 by about 61% of voters, per the Friday update.

Measure R

This Placerville ballot measure appears headed to passing. Measure R would amend the city’s charter to change the way its treasurer is selected. Of votes counted, about 54% were in favor of allowing the city council to appoint the city treasurer instead of electing a candidate. By Friday, updated numbers showed that 51.8% of voters approved the measure. Those opposed account for nearly 32% of votes. An election for the city treasurer position would have been on the ballot this year, but no candidates stepped forward to run.

Measure S

South Lake Tahoe’s Measure S passed with 60% of voters agreeing to adopt a 1% sales tax in the city, raising the overall effective rate to 8.75%. Almost 35% of voters rejected it. The language on the ballot indicated funds from the sales tax could go toward emergency response, snow removal and wildfire prevention, among other things, but proceeds from the tax will go into the city’s general fund. Dollars from the general fund are not earmarked for any particular purpose. City officials estimate that Measure S would bring in about $5.4 million annually.

This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 8:25 AM.