Update: Kellner Widens Lead in City Council Race

The final results of Novato City Council race will not be known until thousands of ballots are counted next week, but Mayor Madeline Kellner looks to be in better shape than she was on election night, according to Marin County Registrar of Voters Elaine Ginnold.

Fourth-place finisher Leslie Peterson Schwarze, a former school board member, finished 86 votes behind Kellner with all 30 precincts reporting Tuesday night, but Ginnold told the on Thursday that the margin had widened to 161 votes.

Peterson Schwarze said she sent congratulatory notes to newcomer and top vote getter Eric Lucan and incumbent Jeanne MacLeamy but doesn't believe it's time to do the same for Kellner.

"I think at this point in the process, it’s fair to let them complete the vote counting before you wave a white flag," she said. "Given how many people did support me — every piece of this campaign was grassroots — it's only fair to let the process go forward so out of respect for the people who helped me. I'm not going to throw in towel until I'm told it's officially over, and then at that point, if she's still on top, I will congratulate Madeline."

Ginnold said Wednesday that 8,000 to 9,000 mailed-in ballots and probably another 800 provisional ballots countywide must be counted before the race is official. It is unknown how many of those uncounted votes are from Novato's 24 precincts, Ginnold said.

The Registrar of Voters hopes to certify the election results before Thanksgiving. Anyone who wants a recount then has five days from the following Monday to request one, Ginnold said.

— Bay City News Service; Novato Patch's Brent Ainsworth contributed to this report.