Printing error omits 118,000 names from voting rosters in Los Angeles County

A “printing error” omitted over a hundred thousand names from voting rosters in one of California’s largest counties on Tuesday, potentially slowing the count in the state’s closely watched governor’s race.

Officials in Los Angeles County said the error affected 118,000 voters and about a third of the county’s 4,357 polling locations.

In addition to the governor's race, Californians were voting in primaries for both senators and a number of U.S. House races.

Residents left off the lists were given provisional ballots and assured that their votes would be counted at a later time, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's Office said.

Provisional ballots will be counted when their registration is confirmed, Registrar-Recorder Clerk Dean Logan said in a statement.

“Our office is committed to ensuring every voter has a positive voting experience on Election Day,” Logan said Tuesday. “We apologize for the inconvenience and concern this has caused. Voters should be assured their vote will be counted.”

The office said it was working to determine the root of the issue, which it said arose when officials noticed that certain data hadn’t been included in the printed lists.

Former Los Angeles Mayor and 2018 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa called on county officials to keep the polls open longer.

"I'm calling on @LACountyRRCC to keep the polls open longer because of the unprecedented number of voters left off the voter rolls," Villaraigosa said in a tweet. "You have the right to vote. If you were turned away, return to your polling place & exercise your right to vote by requesting a provisional ballot."

Villaraigosa said in a speech to supporters it would be "a long night" and also released a statement calling on Secretary of State Alex Padilla to reopen L.A. polling places through the end of the week to accommodate omitted voters.

Past election records show that on average 85 to 90 percent of provisional ballots are determined to be valid and counted, according to the Registrar-Recorder’s office.

The state's "jungle primary" takes the top two votegetters in an open primary. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has been projected by The Associated Press to advance as the top finisher.

Republican John Cox, who has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, has been projected by the AP as the second finisher, which would secure him a spot on the November ballot against Newsom.

Villaraigosa was in a distant third as of 10:35 p.m. with 11.3 percent of the vote, according to the state's polling numbers. Newsom and Cox stood at 34.2 percent and 26.5 percent, respectively.