What happened in Los Angeles mayoral vote counting?
Raman overtakes Pratt after late-counted ballots
In Los Angeles’ mayoral primary, vote totals shifted as election officials continued counting late-arriving ballots that were eligible under California’s rules for mail ballots. Multiple items in the pool describe Nithya Raman surging or overtaking Spencer Pratt after updated counts.
One key development: Raman’s lead emerged after officials counted mail ballots that arrive after Election Day but were postmarked on time. As those additional ballots were added, Raman moved ahead of the reality TV star Spencer Pratt, though at times the race remained extremely tight.
The pool includes several snapshots of the narrowing contest:
- Raman “overtakes” or “surges past” Pratt, bringing the difference down to around one percentage point in one update.
- Associated Press vote counting is referenced as not always immediately declaring a result, with the race described as remaining uncalled at certain stages.
- Another item frames the outcome as Spencer Pratt dropping to third place in a closely watched primary, which would determine who advances to the next round.
The practical consequence is about runoff placement. In California’s system for certain contests, top vote-getters advance. As the late-counting process continued, the articles describe Raman positioned to advance to a runoff election and Pratt losing ground.
Why it matters is twofold:
1) It underscores how election outcomes can change after initial night-of results when mail ballots are still eligible. 2) It affects expectations for November: other items in the pool describe the prospect of Raman facing incumbent mayor Karen Bass in a runoff.
Overall, the pool’s consistent thread is that the vote was not static—late-count eligibility and continued counting changed who led, making the final primary positioning contingent on the ongoing ballot tally.