UPDATE | 224 more votes have been counted today, bringing the total to 10,064 votes counted, according to the county registrar-recorder.
125 of those votes went to Jeannine Pearce, who extends her lead, now with 51.15 percent of the vote, while 99 votes were counted for Eric Gray, who remains behind with 48.85 percent of the vote.
Additional updates will be announced this Tuesday and the following Friday. All votes are scheduled to be counted by July 1.
“I think the current count shows a very engaged 2nd District electorate,” said Gray. “We knew the runoff election would be very close and my supporters have truly been incredible. I can’t thank them enough. We want to ensure every vote is counted to honor the democratic process. No one should feel their vote doesn’t count.”
While Gray remains behind, the small business owner told the Long Beach Post that the political process has been an “incredible experience” for him, as he looks forward to staying engaged with the Long Beach community and its best interests.
“Right now my immediate plans are to focus on my technology business, personal life, and community groups I am a part of,” Gray continued. “Long Beach is a great city with amazing people and so much potential. I hope to be in positions which will allow me to make significant contributions beyond my previous roles.”
Pearce will replace two-term City Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal. Pearce was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
Previously: Semi-Final Election Returns Show Pearce Winning Second District Council Seat
6/14/16 at 4:40PM | The semi-final vote count released from the county registrar-recorder appeared to show candidate Jeannine Pearce edging out her opponent for the Second District Long Beach City Council seat, Eric Gray, by two percentage points and 190 votes, with 51 percent to his 49 percent.
The announcement showed 9,840 votes cast, with 4,860 voting for Pearce. Today’s updated included an additional 2,602 vote by mail (VBM) ballots, according to a the county registrar-recorder.
A spokesperson at the registrar-recorder declined to comment on the finality of the votes, noting stability of Pearce’s lead thus far, but stating that an unknown amount of provisional ballots are left to be counted. Additional updates will be announced this coming Friday, next Tuesday and the following Friday. All votes are scheduled to be counted by July 1.
“I feel great,” said Pearce. “Every ballot they have processed was counted today. I’m happy to say that we won.”
She said she was confident in her lead, and was making plans to meet with constituents and address the concerns of the business community in the coming weeks mentioning plans for a “business breakfast” and upcoming breakfast to thank her supporters and meet more constituents.
“We were told [the further vote count] wouldn’t have a significant impact [on the results],” said Pearce.
Pearce will replace two-term City Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal.
Gray was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
PREVIOUSLY: County to Update Long Beach 2nd District Vote Count Tuesday Afternoon
At 12:04PM | At 1:00PM Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder will update its vote count for Long Beach’s Second District city council seat.
As of early Wednesday morning, candidate Jeannine Pearce led the race by a slim margin, with 50.96 percent to rival Eric Gray’s 49.04 percent—just 134 votes dividing them.
According to Long Beach City Clerk Maria de la luz Garcia, today’s count won’t include the 1,597 provisional ballots left to count, and also excludes the vote by mail ballots postmarked on election day and received by the city late last week.
A total of 846 vote by mail ballots were left to count as of election day. The remaining number of VBM ballots left to be counted and received later in the week remains outstanding, said de la Luz Garcia.
Is it likely the race will shift in a definitive direction today?
“It’s hard to say, as there are still several provisional ballots left to count,” said Garcia.
Further developments in the race will be announced later this week. The county has until July 8 to certify the results of the election, said Garcia.