CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Mayor Paulette Guajardo and District 4 council candidate Kaylynn Paxson won their races during Saturday's runoff election, but the District 1 race is still too close to call.
We're talking about the district one race between incumbent Everett Roy and former councilman Billy Lerma.
On Saturday, incumbent Everett Roy led the race against former councilman Billy Lerma by just two votes. However, any additional mail-in or provisional ballots could change that.
The question right now is how many new ballots will come?
The county will still accept ballots postmarked by this past Saturday as long as they arrived by 5 p.m. Monday, but those aren't the only ballots that could change the outcome.
Among those stopping by the elections office this Monday was Chloe Torres with Texas Campaign for the Environment.
She calls the District 1 result a critical one in the debate over desal.
"So it's incredibly important that every single vote is accounted for and it's also just doing our due diligence to make sure our democratic process is working," Torres said.
The candidates are waiting to see if any additional mail-in or provisional ballots arriving Monday will effect the outcome.
"There are five outstanding provisional, ballot board is going to reconvene and they will process those provisionals," County Clerk Kara Sands said. "And they will process those provisional and then any mail ballots that we receive today, domestic, and they have to be received today by 5 p.m."
District one encompasses North Beach, downtown, parts of uptown, Annaville and Calallen.
Sands said there are more than 100 mail-in ballots that they have received but not opened.
Those are considered "defects."
"So ballot board had determined that these voters' carrier envelopes, they didn't have maybe their social [security number] or maybe the signature. According to the ballot board, they had some questions about the signature," Sands said.
Not all of those defect ballots will be for District 1.
The county contacted those voters and they have until Friday to make any corrections.
Roy told 3NEWS Monday he is waiting on the final word from the county clerk.
If Lerma loses, he said he'll likely request a recount, one he'll have to make with the mayor's office rather than the county.
"The authority for receiving that petition is the mayor, so it's the presiding officer of the local canvassing authority, and that is the mayor of Corpus Christi," City Secretary Rebecca Huerta said. "The only exemption would be if the petition is in the mayor's race, then the petition would be the city secretary."
The deadline to request a recount is Dec. 31.
Huerta said the candidate asking for a recount is responsible for the cost and must submit a deposit which is about $1,600.
If they win, they get a refund. If they lose, they're out that money.
In the case of a tie there's an automatic recount.
If that doesn't break the tie, they would decide the winner with a random drawing, proving every single vote counts.