Race for Carson Council Seat Decided by 220 Votes
The race for Carson’s Fourth District City Council seat remains razor-thin, with John Hollaway’s lead over incumbent Arleen Bocatija Rojas shrinking to just 220 votes on Sunday.
Los Angeles County election officials are continuing to count ballots from Tuesday’s election, a process that has kept the contest on a knife’s edge since Election Night. The latest figures, released by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk, show Hollaway holding a narrow advantage as the unofficial tally continues to shift.
Vote Count Narrows Margin
According to the latest unofficial results, Hollaway has received 3,603 votes, representing 51.57% of the total counted so far. Rojas has garnered 3,383 votes, or 48.43%. The 220-vote margin is down from a 236-vote lead Hollaway held on Saturday, when he had 3,528 votes to Rojas’ 3,292.
The daily update added 75 votes to Hollaway’s total and 91 to Rojas’, reducing the challenger’s advantage by 16 votes. It is unclear how many ballots remain to be counted in the race, which has been a seesaw battle throughout the canvassing process.
A Back-and-Forth Battle
The contest has been remarkably close from the outset. Early returns on Election Night initially showed Rojas leading Hollaway by 40 votes, with 1,916 votes to the challenger’s 1,876. However, as more ballots were counted in the days that followed, Hollaway steadily gained ground and ultimately overtook the incumbent.
The winner of the race for Carson’s Fourth District City Council seat will serve on the city council for the coming term and shape the district's future direction.
What’s Next in the Race
The results remain entirely unofficial pending the completion of the full vote count and official certification by the county. The process of counting all remaining mail-in, provisional, and other ballots is expected to continue in the coming days.
The race will remain too close to call until all votes are tallied and certified, a process that could take several more days to conclude.
