BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — After the ongoing controversy, Kern County Judge Bernard Barmann Jr. confirmed the Greenfield Union School District Election.
- Kern County Judge Bernard Barmann Jr. confirmed the election results for Greenfield Union School District.
- 108 incorrect ballots were sent to voters not in the GFUSD Trustee Area C election.
- Mercy Peña won the election by just 8 votes against Ricardo Herrera.
- The judge found insufficient evidence to order a new election despite the ballot mishap.
- GFUSD Superintendent Ramon Hendrix expressed commitment to election accuracy in their statement.
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BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Legal Challenges involving the Greenfield Union School District have come to an end. This comes after a Kern County Judge confirmed Mercy Peña win over Ricardo Herrera for a seat in the district's Board of Trustees.
In December, the Kern County Elections Office confirmed that 108 ballots were mistakenly sent out to voters who do not live in the GFUSD Trustee Area C election AND more than 50 of those ballots were cast.
With an eight-vote difference, Peña won the GFUSD Trustee Area C race against her opponent Herrera.
"It's a travesty. It's a miscarriage of justice."
That's how Herrera described Judge Bernard Barmann Jr's decision on Friday to not order a new election due to lack of evidence.
"I think Barmann Jr. overstepped his bounds and he disenfranchised the voters of Trustee Area C for Greenfield," said Herrera. "I think what it did show was his inexperience."
In addition to Barmann Jr., Herrera claims that the Kern County Elections Office including Amiee Espinoza and the Board of Supervisors owe GFUSD an apology for the fiasco they caused.
In a statement, Mercy Peña says in part, "This was never about election integrity—it was about keeping a conservative voice off the school board. Thankfully, justice prevailed," end quote.
In another statement released by GFUSD on Friday, Superintendent Ramon Hendrix said in part quote, "Today's hearing concludes the formal legal process regarding the Trustee Area C election, and we respect the court's decision."
The statement proceeded to say, quote, "Our commitment to promote election accuracy and transparency was well worth the effort. With this matter now settled, the Greenfield Union School District looks forward to continuing to serve our students, families, and staff," end quote.
Peña says this is a lesson learned and encourages the community to hold elected officials accountable.
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