Pritchard keeps lead in Yolo’s lone supervisor race, but runoff remains likely

Dotty Pritchard maintained a nearly 9-point lead in the race for Yolo County’s 3rd District Board of Supervisors seat after Tuesday’s vote update, but remained short of the majority needed to avoid a November runoff.

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Pritchard had 3,880 votes, or 41.3%, according to Tuesday’s updated election results from county officials. Mayra Vega was second with a 32.4% share of the votes counted, while Xochitl Rodriguez received 26.3%. More than 13,000 ballots countywide remained uncounted, though not all were cast in the 3rd District race.

The 3rd District seat, now held by Supervisor Mary Vixie Sandy, who is not seeking reelection, represents parts of Woodland, the Bryte and Broderick neighborhoods in West Sacramento and the Wild Wings community. It was the only supervisorial contest on the June 2 ballot and one the few contested races across Yolo County.

If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to the general election ballot in November.

Precinct-level results show Pritchard has significant support in the district’s rural areas and a slight edge over Vega in Woodland. Rodriguez leads in the Bryte and Broderick neighborhoods of West Sacramento.

Pritchard, who served as a deputy under multiple Yolo County supervisors and spent decades as a teacher, has the support of the Yolo County Business PAC, which backs pro-business candidates.

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Vega, a Woodland City Council member, small-business owner and executive coach, has trailed since the first preliminary results were released. Vega received numerous endorsements from Democratic organizations and elected leaders, including the California Democratic Party, Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters.

Rodriguez, a former deputy secretary at the California Department of Veterans Affairs, small-business owner and former Woodland City Council member, has remained in third place since Election Night.

The Yolo County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to approve a budget that eliminates 150 county jobs in an effort to address a $35 million budget deficit. The winner of this race will help guide the county through further budget reductions over the coming years, according to county budget documents.

Yolo County is still counting votes and has about 13,000 ballots left to process. The county counted about 12,000 ballots between Friday and Tuesday afternoon, but it is not yet clear whether the next update, scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, will be the final uncertified result.

Voter turnout was high for a primary election, and a significant share of voters cast ballots on or after Election Day, likely because many delayed making a decision in the governor’s race. The county will release another batch of results by 4 p.m. Friday.

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