The public recount of votes for the Chula Vista City Council Seat One began Wednesday.
The razor-thin race for the seat between John McCann and Steve Padilla ended with McCann in the lead by two votes, County Registrar Michael Vu said.
The recount was officially requested by Humberto Peraza Jr., who is lobbyist and a Southwestern Community College board trustee. The recount itself is open to the public and starts at 9 a.m. every day until all the requested votes are counted.
Vu said a recount such as this one is part of the democratic process.
“Many people of the voting public think Election Day ends on Election Day. Yet we know that we have a certification period which lasts 28 days and then, like this situation, a recount,” he said.
Twenty-five precincts will be recounted, as requested by Peraza Jr., of the 110 total precincts. All 110 precincts need to be recounted for the recount to take effect, Vu said, and they will start with the initial precincts before checking to see if more precincts will be requested.
Certified results prior to the recount said McCann won with 18,448 votes to Padilla's 18,446.
