Hey Michael: We don't have runoff elections here; whoever has the most votes at the end of this wins. Here at The Alamedan we're still waiting on the mayor's race and the third seat on the health care district board (something I realized I may not have made clear with Wednesday's piece).

Hey Richard: I don't know that there is an automatic recount outside of the 1 percent tally the registrar usually does to test the count; let me ask. I would assume that whoever's on the losing end of the election at the end of this race will want a recount, but my memory is that they're costly and that the candidate who requests one has to pay for it. I will check. And Kim: If Spencer wins (and decides to vacate her school board seat - apparently there's some question about whether she would be required to do so), the school board has two options: Hold a special election or appoint a new board member to serve out the rest of her term. They're governed by different rules on this than the City Council.

Hey all: So, I followed up on Richard's question regarding what may trigger an automatic recount. According to the California Secretary of State, there is no state law requiring an automatic recount (more here: http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/recount/statewide-recount-faq.htm). Any voter can request one within five days of the results being due (they're due within 28 days of an election, so the clock starts on the 29th day). As I seem recall it costs a few thousand dollars a day to conduct one, but I'll see if I can get more specific information on that.

As to the question about whether Trish Spencer could be both mayor and a school board member, I checked in with the school district and it sounds like the answer is that she can only hold one of those offices. Per the FPPC:

Gov. Code Section 1099 codifies the common law prohibition against the holding of "incompatible offices." This doctrine restricts the ability of public officials to hold two different public offices simultaneously if the offices have overlapping and conflicting public duties. For this section to apply, each position must be a “public office.” (Gov. Code Section 1099 (c).)

Pursuant to Section 1099, a person may not simultaneously hold two public offices if:

either of the offices exercises a supervisory, auditing, or removal power over the other office or body,
there is a significant clash of duties or loyalties between the offices, or
there are public policy considerations that make it improper.

The consequence of holding an incompatible office is that the person is “deemed to have forfeited the first office upon acceding to the second.” (Gov. Code Section 1099(b).)

Additionally, The California Constitution has provisions addressing the holding of two government positions.

The doctrine of incompatible offices is outside the jurisdiction of the Fair Political Practices Commission, but the Attorney General's office has issued numerous opinions on the subject which are available on the Attorney General’s web site: http://caag.state.ca.us. If you have a question about whether two public offices which you hold or seek to hold would be considered incompatible offices, contact your city attorney, county counsel, or the Attorney General's office.

(More here: www.fppc.ca.gov/index.php?id=215)

Hey Keith and Marvie: As to when we'll have a final result - the best I can say is, we'll know when we know. I just left the registrar's office (more on that after today's results roll in) and it sounds like they are counting ballots from 8:45 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today and through the weekend. Yesterday they counted about 25,000 absentee ballots, and they've got another 75,000 to go. The 24,000 provisionals, which are being counted last, will probably take longer to count.

Once they're done the ROV does a 1 percent manual tally of the ballots to ensure accuracy of the count. Then they certify the results.

And quick correction to something I said earlier: If someone wants to seek a recount, they have five days after the results are certified to request one, as opposed to five days after the certification deadline (apparently this is for state races, per Alameda County Registrar Tim Dupuis). More on that after 5 as well.