Recount to show if open primary affected election

Eron Ben-Yehuda

A recount of the votes in the March Republican primary election for the

local state Assembly seat could be completed as early as next week, an

official from the county registrar’s office said.

The GOP contest for the 67th District was won by Huntington Beach

Councilman Tom Harman, who defeated Fountain Valley businessman Jim

Righeimer.

Some Republicans are concerned that Democrats may have made the

difference in the open primary, which allows people who do not belong to

the party to vote. Harman received 42,570 votes compared to Righeimer’s

32,971, said Don Taylor, an assistant county registrar.

A Righeimer supporter, local businessman and former Huntington Beach

Planning Commissioner Ed Laird, is reportedly spending $6,000 for the

recount.

If the Democratic vote proves to be massive enough, it should make people

reconsider the wisdom of an open primary, Righeimer said.

“It would be very frustrating for the Dallas Cowboys to have the San

Francisco 49ers decide who their team is,” he said.

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments April 24 in a case

challenging the constitutionality of the 1996 citizen-sponsored

initiative that created the open primary system in California.

Even if the court struck down the initiative, neither Righeimer nor

Harman expect the ruling to affect the primary results. Court decisions

are generally not retroactive, said Harman, an attorney.