San Mateo’s Nov. 6 election results show a 53-vote gap in the District 5 City Council race, while Lisa Diaz Nash and Seema Patel hold wider leads in Districts 1 and 3. The results remain uncertified.

The San Mateo County Elections Office reported that as of 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, it had processed 179,539 ballots countywide. An estimated 100,000 remained countywide, including about 97,300 vote-by-mail ballots received on or before Election Day and roughly 1,700 conditional-registration ballots.

Here is where each San Mateo contest stood in the county’s Nov. 6 report.

District 5: 53 votes separate the top two

The tightest race is in District 5, which covers the city’s southwest side, including the Beresford Hillsdale neighborhood. Mayor Adam Loraine holds 1,961 votes (40.34%), followed by Dana Yates Sahae with 1,908 (39.25%) and Dave Johnson with 992 (20.41%).

That puts Loraine ahead of Yates Sahae by 53 votes, a margin that could shift as the remaining ballots are counted.

District 1: Nash leads by wide margin

Lisa Diaz Nash leads Taso Zografos with 3,213 votes (61.80%) to his 1,986 (38.20%).

Nash has served on the council since 2022, according to her city biography. While serving as mayor in 2024, she spearheaded Measure T, a ballot initiative voters passed to increase building height and density near transportation hubs and downtown, the Mercury News reported.

District 3: Patel ahead of incumbent Newsom

Planning commission chair Seema Patel leads incumbent council member Robert Newsom Jr. with 2,469 votes (62.40%) to his 1,488 (37.60%).

Patel told the Mercury News she was “cautiously optimistic” about her lead. She also founded Safe Streets for Everyone, a group that advocates for pedestrian safety and cycling infrastructure.

Measure H: sales tax proposal leads

Measure H, a proposed quarter-cent sales tax increase, received 12,892 yes votes (59.53%) and 8,766 no votes (40.47%), according to the county portal.

If approved, it would increase the overall sales tax rate from 9.625% to 9.875%, generating an estimated $7 million a year for city services such as street repairs, parks, police, fire and traffic safety, according to the city’s FAQ.

The tax would stay in effect until voters repeal it, according to Patch.

What comes next

The county elections office scheduled its next results update for Monday, Nov. 9, by 4:30 p.m. Pacific time. Additional updates are scheduled for Nov. 12 before 9:30 a.m., Nov. 13 and Nov. 16, according to the county results page.

Results are scheduled to be certified on Dec. 3.