State Center Trustee Bobby Kahn’s lead in the Area 1 race shrank further when the Madera County Elections Office released its final results on Wednesday morning.
Kahn is now clinging to a 28-vote lead over challenger Destiny Rodriguez in a race in which more than 25,000 votes were cast.
The outcome of the election will hinge on the final vote count from the Fresno County Elections Office, which will release its next update on Dec. 2. Fresno County reported last week that about 2,000 ballots remain to be processed.
Area 1 includes the western portion of Madera County and northwestern Fresno County.
Rodriguez, a businesswoman and consultant to the California Air Resources Board, appears likely to overtake Kahn as her support among Fresno County voters has been stronger than Kahn’s.
As of Wednesday’s final count from Madera County, Kahn has 41.6%, Rodriguez has 41.5%, and the other challenger, Alfredo Miranda, a Fresno County eligibility worker, has 16.5% of the ballots cast in the two counties.
Kahn told GV Wire last week that he does not anticipate seeking a recount if Rodriguez overtakes him in the vote count.
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The Area 1 seat was one of three State Center trustee seats up for election. Trustee Magdalena Gomez was unchallenged in the Area 4 seat, and Rob Fuentes defeated Gilbert Felix in the Area 5 seat that had no incumbent after Trustee Annalisa Perea won election to the Fresno City Council.
