Sentinel staff report–
Final results in the Nov. 7 special election to fill the vacant Area 7 seat on the San Juan Unified School District’s governing board were certified by the county last month, with a voter turnout of 19 percent.
Out of 27,823 registered voters in Area 7, a total of 5,308 ballots were counted, with total votes counted coming in just under that at 5,246, due to 51 undervotes and 11 overvotes. Undervotes occur when no vote is entered on a ballot race, while an overvote occurs when a voter selects more than one candidate in an election where only one candidate can be voted for.
The winning candidate, Manuel Perez, received 2,839 votes and 54.12% of the vote, while candidate Moe Sarama received 2,407 votes and 45.88% of the vote.
As previously reported, Perez on Facebook said his focus “will be to ensure that our kids are safe when they are at school and that we are always striving to deliver the best education possible” and said he will “work tirelessly to make our schools a place where all students can thrive.”
Perez had been endorsed by Mayor Tim Schaefer and the Sacramento County Republican Party, while Sarama had the backing of the San Juan Teachers Association and had been endorsed by Citrus Heights Councilwoman Porsche Middleton as well as the Democratic Party of Sacramento County.
The special election was held to fill a vacancy on the school district’s governing board left by the late Steve Miller, who passed away earlier this year while serving in office.
The Area 7 school board seat largely covers Citrus Heights, except for several portions of the city south of Greenback Lane and east of Mariposa Avenue. Prior elections for the San Juan Unified School District were held at-large, but a recent change expanded the board from five members to seven members and also created by-trustee-area elections.
Final results in the Nov. 7 special election to fill the vacant Area 7 seat on the San Juan Unified School District's governing board were certified by the county last month, with a voter turnout of 19 percent...
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