Political Analyst on recall election costs, baseless accusations of ‘fraud,’ and problematic ‘peaceful transfer of power’
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Jerry Roberts, political analyst and veteran journalist, is sharing his knowledge and input with local viewers during Tuesday's live election coverage on NewsChannel 3-12.
He said results could come quickly after the polls close Tuesday night if the election is a "landslide." If not, final results could take a matter of days if not weeks.
"The eight million (statewide) votes that are already in, the majority of them are Democratic votes. They will be counted by the time the polls close at 8:00 p.m. They'll be released shortly thereafter. Then, the Registrars will start releasing a second bucket which is those that have been cast today, which are likely to be more Republican. And finally, your ballot counts if it arrives within the next week."
Roberts noted that the latest polls showed Governor Gavin Newsom leading by 20 points.
He also pointed to the $276 million dollar election cost, how Newsom's campaign evolved with COVID-19, and, mentioned baseless accusations of voter fraud coming from both Republican challenger, Larry Elder, and former President Donald Trump.
"Today, (former President Trump) issued yet another statement saying that the California system was rigged. This appears to be kind of a new feature of the Trump Republican party," said Roberts. "Which is, 'Any election that we lose is not legitimate.'"
