As the nation awaits the final results of the 2022 Midterm Elections and tallies trickle in, voters in Irvine are starting to get a clearer picture of how candidates fared during election night.

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the OC Registrar of Voters estimated that 45% of ballots had been counted with still approximately 176,000 ballots left to process, according to its website. The Registrar has released daily results on weekdays at 5:00 p.m. since the night after the elections. 

There is no official timeline on when the final counts will be available according to Bob Page, the county Registrar of Voters. However, Page explained that the department will work to certify election results by December 8, which is the statutory deadline.  

In an email with Irvine Weekly, Page said he does not, “predict the number of days it will take to certify an election,” but will be executing a number of things to ensure the results are properly, and accurately recorded. 

“​​The Registrar of Voters will do the following in order to certify the election results no later than the statutory deadline of December 8:  

• Process every vote-by-mail and provisional ballot cast in this election as they are received (we do not sort or prioritize ballots by certain contests on the ballot, such as Irvine Mayor). 
• Provide voters an opportunity to cure a signature issue on their vote-by-mail ballots. 
• Complete several tests and audits to ensure the accuracy of the results.”

​​In Irvine, incumbent Mayor Farrah Khan has maintained a steady lead with 36.85% of Irvine voters opting for her reelection, with a total of 24,102 votes, as of Tuesday, November 15.

Of Khan’s four challengers, mayoral candidate Branda Lin trailed Khan with just over 17,982 votes, at 27.50% of the vote. Simon Moon has claimed 19.47% of the vote in Irvine, with 12,735 votes. Kathrine Daigle claimed 6,187 votes and Tom Chomyn garnered 4,391 votes, appealing to 6.71% of voters.

Khan’s social media gave no indication on how the mayor was feeling on the Wednesday after the election. When asked about her thoughts on the results, Khan said she was optimistic, but said there was still a lot of ground to cover in this election,  

“There are still a lot of ballots to be counted so we’re going to wait for any announcement until all ballots have been counted. I spent election night with friends and family and feel good about our numbers,” Khan shared in a text to Irvine Weekly on Wednesday, November 9. 

Lin, however, has been active on social media.

“One message is loud and clear: Irvine residents want a new mayor! 33.6% of the ballots have been counted so far with 30,657 votes against the incumbent, and 17,114 votes for the incumbent,” Lin wrote in a Facebook post on the Branda Lin for Mayor campaign page. 

In a phone call with Irvine Weekly, Lin said she was “thankful” and planned to keep close tabs on the results. 

On election night Irvine City Council member Larry Agran jumped out to an early lead seeking another term on Irvine’s City Council. Agran has claimed 26,211 votes, connecting with roughly 24% of Irvine voters. Trailing Agran with 24,118 votes, Dr. Kathleen Treseder has claimed just over 22% of the vote, slightly edging out incumbent Anthony Kuo.

As of Tuesday, November 15, Kuo had received 23,006 votes, connecting with 21.05% of voters. Challengers John Park received 21,382 votes at 19%, while Scott Hansen received 10,611 votes, and Navid Sadigh claimed 3,970 votes.  

Speaking to Irvine Weekly by phone Wednesday, Agran was pleased about the initial results but was cautious due to the amount of votes left to count. Agran said he felt that his “serious approach,” connected with voters, giving him an early lead.  

“It is really quite close, but I feel pretty good as we look forward to the final results — that probably won’t be clear for at least several days,” he said. “I was pleased that the couple hundred thousand dollars in vicious attack mail seemed to be rejected by most of the people.”

The race between Kuo and Treseder is very close — a difference of less than 1,200 votes.

In a text message with Irvine Weekly on Wednesday, November 9, Treseder said she was happy about her position in the polls, adding that she would continue to follow the results as they became available.

“I’m glad we are where we are, and I’m looking forward to the final votes coming in,” she said.

With more ballots still to be counted, Kuo remained optimistic

“While votes continue to be counted, I’m grateful for the robust conversation that candidates and voters had over the last number of months. I’ve worked hard for the community I grew up in during my first four years on the City Council, and remain optimistic with each update the Registrar of Voters provides.”

Orange County Supervisor 5th District: Katrina Foley vs. Patricia Bates

Incumbent 2nd District Supervisor Katrina Foley currently leads her opponent Senator Patricia Bates for the 5th District seat on the Orange County Board Of Supervisors.

As of November 15, Foley had accumulated 99,263 votes appealing to 50.88% of voters. Bates had accumulated 95,834 votes, or 49.12% of voters, according to the OC Registrar of Voters website. 

California State Assembly District 73: Cottie Petrie-Norris (D) vs. Steven S. Choi (R) 

Democratic State Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, the 74th District incumbent, is leading her Republican opponent Steven Choi by approximately 10,000 votes in the race for State Assembly District 73, as of November 15. 

Petrie-Norris has accumulated 61,510 votes, or 54.6% of the vote, while Choi has received 51,148 votes, or 45.4%, according to the Secretary of State’s website. 

U.S. House 47th Congressional District: Katie Porter (D) vs. Scott Baugh

With approximately 30 days left before official certification, Orange County Democrat Katie Porter is currently in the lead for U.S. House 47th Congressional District against Republican Scott Baugh. 

Porter has accumulated 114,392 votes, appealing to 50.6% of voters. Baugh claimed 111,501 votes at 49.4% of voters, according to the Secretary of State website. 

California State Office Results as of November 15, 2022

Secretary of State
Shirley N. Weber (D) –  4,614,801 votes (59.5%)
Robert Bernosky (R) –  3,136,462 votes (40.5%)

Controller
Malia M. Cohen (D) – 4,215,527 votes (54.7%)
Leehan Chen (R) – 3,485,560 votes (45.3)

Attorney General
Rob Bonta (D) – 4,531,598 votes (58.6%)
Nathan Hochman (R) – 3,200,531 votes (41.4)

State Treasurer
Fiona Ma (D) – 4,486,912 votes (58.4)
Jack M. Guerrero (R) – 3,196,178 (41.6%)

Insurance Commissioner
Ricardo Lara (D) – 4,541,802 (59.4%)
Robert Howell (R) – 3,104,385 (40.6%)

District 1 Member, State Board Of Equalization
Jose Altamirano (D) – 681,101 votes (43.9%)
Ted Gaines (R)  – 869,192 votes (56.1%)

U.S. Senator Full Term
Alex Padilla (D) – 4,723,948 votes (60.5%)
Mark Meuser (R) – 3,081,849 (39.5%)

Lieutenant Governor
Eleni Kounalakis (D) – 4,585,444 votes (59.2%)
Angela Jacobs (R) – 3,154,970 votes (40.8%)

Governor of California
Gavin Newsom (D) – 4,631,939 votes (58.9%)
Brian Dahle (R) – 3,229,013 votes (41.1%)

This article was updated November 15, 2022 to reflect developing election results.

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