Leland Yee
Approximately 10 percent of Californians who voted in the secretary of state primary election selected alleged crime boss Leland Yee as their choice to become the state’s next chief elections officer.
Yee, a suspended state senator, is currently out on bail following a March arrest for firearms trafficking and political corruption. Federal prosecutors accuse Yee of sidestepping campaign donation rules and engaging in a conspiracy to deal automatic guns and shoulder-launched missiles.
Following the arrest, Yee’s attorney said that Yee was withdrawing his candidacy for secretary of state.
Still, Yee received a total of 287,590 votes, or 9.8 percent of the votes cast in the secretary of state election. He finished third in an eight-person race for the office.
In San Luis Obispo County, Yee tallied 4,617 votes, or 10.87 percent. Yee was the third most popular secretary of state candidate in the county, as well.
Elections officials have not yet counted all of the vote by mail ballots, so Yee’s vote count will likely rise.
