After the tragic death of Lassen County Superior Court Judge candidate Jon Nakanishi last week in Truckee, questions have arisen about what affect his death will have on the November election.
Nakanishi and Lassen County District Attorney Bob Burns were locked into a run-off for the Superior Court Judge’s seat after placing first and second in an election where none of the five candidates received more than the required majority to win.
Burns received the most votes in the June primary, taking 32.59% of the ballots, followed by Nakanishi with 27.36%.
According to Lassen County’s Registrar of Voters Julie Bustamante, because Nakanishi’s death occurred more than 68 days before the November election the name of the number three vote-getter in the primary, Tony Mallery, will be placed into the run-off on the November ballot.
Mallery received 21.60% of the vote on June 5th.
Had Nakanishi’s death occurred in the final 68 days of the race, Bustamante explained, his name would have remained on the ballot.
