San Diego county lags behind all others in reporting results

SAN DIEGO - With every other county in California reporting election results in 100 percent of precincts, San Diego County mysteriously lagged behind for more than 12 hours after polls closed Tuesday night.

Riverside County's semi-final report of election results at 8:01 a.m. handed San Diego County the distinction of being the last county in the state without 100 percent of precincts reporting. The delay hindered the ability to officially call certain local races, like that of the San Diego City Council and the county Board of Supervisors, until the early afternoon.

"We're still trying to figure out what went wrong,'' county spokeswoman Tracy Defore said.

County officials are unsure when they will know what caused the delay in reported results. County Registrar of Voters Michael Vu was unable to be reached for comment.

Just 38 percent of San Diego County residents cast ballots in the 2018 election, according to data from the California Secretary of State. The county's turnout on Tuesday was less than half of its 81.5 percent rate in the 2016 November election and the lowest in a mid-term election in more than 35 years.