Republican Leader Scott Wilk, R- Santa Clarita, and incoming Senate Minority Leader-elect Brian Jones, R-Santee issued a joint statement requesting the California State Senate to not hastily proceed with the swearing-in ceremony in the Senate District 16 race due to concerns over hundreds of ballots that have not been counted.

“Every vote should be counted, period. The Central Valley’s Senate District 16 race between Melissa Hurtado and David Shepard is extremely close with a margin reportedly at 20 votes out of more than 136,000 votes cast,” officials with Wilk’s office said.

“There reportedly are 14 ‘cured’ ballots that were submitted in Fresno County yesterday, which have yet to be counted. Reports also are swirling that there’s a handful of uncounted ballots in Kings County still remaining and 600 to 800 uncounted ballots in Tulare County still remaining. Additionally, the lack of transparency and confusion in the Kern County Registrar of Voter’s Office has been alarming. Incorrect postings of remaining ballots, vote machine break-downs, floating deadlines for curing ballots and mismanagement of staff have all plagued the Kern County Registrar of Voters Office since election night. Right now, there is no faith that the Kern County vote count is anywhere done nor accurate.

“It would be unfair and yet another slight to the residents of the Central Valley for the Senate to rush the seating of either Hurtado or Shepard until there is uniform confidence that every vote has been counted in this razor thin race.

“We call upon our 37 colleagues of both parties in the Senate to not jam through a swearing-in for Senate District 16 that the courts may later have to reverse.”

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