LOS ANGELES (WOWO): Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman has moved ahead of reality television personality Spencer Pratt in the latest vote count for the city’s mayoral primary, though election officials have not yet determined who will advance to a runoff against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass.
Updated results from the Associated Press show Raman, a Democrat, leading Pratt, a Republican, by more than 3,000 votes, a margin of roughly 0.4 percentage points. Pratt had held a narrow lead earlier in the day.
Bass, a Democrat seeking a second term, has already secured a spot in the November runoff. The race for the second runoff position remains too close to call as Los Angeles County continues processing ballots.
Under Los Angeles’ nonpartisan election system, candidates compete on a single primary ballot regardless of party affiliation. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers advance to a general election runoff.
The prolonged vote count has drawn criticism from Republicans and renewed debate over California’s election procedures. Los Angeles County is continuing to count ballots that were postmarked on or before Election Day and received within the state’s allowable window. Officials have until July 2 to complete the official canvass, with statewide certification scheduled for July 10.
California’s vote-counting process often extends well beyond Election Day because every active registered voter is mailed a ballot. Election workers must also verify signatures, process provisional ballots and count eligible mail ballots that arrive after polls close but were mailed on time.
The Republican National Committee has highlighted the extended timeline with an online tracker measuring the time since polls closed. Republican candidates and party officials have argued that the lengthy count undermines public confidence in elections.
Election administrators and voting experts, however, have said the delays are largely the result of California’s mail voting system and the extensive verification procedures required before ballots can be counted.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also criticized the state’s election process during a television interview, blaming changes enacted under the administration of Gavin Newsom for the slower pace of vote tabulation.
As counting continues, the contest between Raman and Pratt remains one of the closest races on the Los Angeles ballot, with both campaigns awaiting additional results that will determine who challenges Bass in November.
