Chyanne Chen’s slim lead grows — barely

The San Francisco Department of Elections moments ago released the results of an additional 6,466 ballots. That brings the grand total of processed ballots to 388,758 — 74.44 percent of the electorate.

There are now very few ballots remaining — largely provisional ballots cast at citywide polling places and at City Hall. Today is also the last day for any mail ballot postmarked on Election Day or earlier to reach City Hall and be counted. 

All told, 18,200 additional ballots remain uncounted, including 14,500 provisional ones. Verifying provisional ballots requires additional scrutiny — and, naturally, additional time.

Turnout is tracking to be about 77.8 percent, maximum. The average San Francisco turnout in a presidential year, going back 108 years, is 77 percent. 

Around 43,000 fewer San Franciscans will have cast a ballot in 2024 than they did four years ago. 

There are only two remaining contested races: District 11 supervisor, and the fourth and last seat on the Board of Education:

In District 11, Chyanne Chen now has 11,820 votes to Michael Lai’s 11,610 — just a 210 vote margin. Since the last drop from 24 hours ago, Chen only gained three votes. 

Lai is slightly outpacing Chen in first-place votes, but a high level of transfers from third-place finisher Ernest “EJ” Jones has pushed Chen into the lead. She caught and passed Lai in the vote drops following Election Day, eventually building a 270-vote lead on Sunday. Lai, however, has shaved 60 votes off that deficit. 

On Monday, Elections Director John Arntz told Mission Local that there were perhaps 1,200 provisional votes uncounted in District 11, but some of those were processed yesterday. There are very few votes left to count.