Martinez Routs Rumley in Close Vote

Incumbent Olivia Martinez has been re-elected to the Sequoia Union High School District Board of Trustees, according to the latest numbers from the San Mateo County Elections Office.

This outcome differs from an announcement made on election night November 8, that declared fellow incumbent Lorraine Rumley winner of her re-election bid by 52 votes over Martinez.

A follow-up tally of provisional ballots ultimately yielded the a third available spot on the board to Martinez, by a total of 77 votes. Martinez will join newcomers Allen Weiner, a Stanford law professor, and Carrie Du Bois, a San Carlos School Board member, on the new high school district board.

Trustee Don Gibson's choice to not run for re-election left a third seat on the board vacant. Final results show that Martinez pulled in 12,659 votes, or 19.2% of the votes. While Rumley received 12,582 votes, or 19.1% of the votes.

Election night results indicated that Rumley had won by receiving 9,594 votes, surpassing the 9,539 votes Martinez collected.

Meanwhile Du Bois led all by receiving the support of 16,611 residents, or 25.2% of those who participated, while Weiner received 14,669 votes, or 22.3% of the votes, according to final results.

Martinez and Rumley ran together for re-election on the same ticket. Neither were available for comment by the time of this article's publication.

According to the elections office, 28.7% of the county's 333,407 voters participated in this election. Elected candidates will serve a four-year term on the high school district board.

The county's election office will certify final results next month.