Marin County District 5 recount ends due to lack of payment, Limeta remains winner

A recount of the June 2 primary election for Marin County's District 5 Board of Supervisors seat ended Wednesday.

Candidate Andy Podshadley had challenged the results and called for a recount in June but did not pay the required deposit to continue the process, leaving the certified election results unchanged. Magali Limeta remains the official winner.

Under California elections code, Podshadley was required to submit an estimated recount payment by 9 a.m. Wednesday. According to the Marin County Elections Department, Podshadley notified election officials by email before the deadline that he would not deliver the required deposit, and the recount was subsequently terminated.

The certified election results, finalized June 26, remain official. Limeta won the race outright with 50.27% of the vote. By narrowly surpassing 50% of the vote, Limeta avoided a November runoff. Podshadley received 17.66%, followed by Curtis Aikens with 12.62%, Chris Carpiniello with 11.30% and Marc Hunter Lewis with 8.15%.

In a statement Wednesday, election officials said the partial manual recount identified minor differences from the certified canvass, which they described as normal variations during a hand count. Because the recount was not completed, no vote totals identified during the partial review can be incorporated into the official results under California law.

Registrar of Voters Natalie Adona said Podshadley has already paid $25,333 toward the recount. The county will refund any overpayment or issue a bill to Podshadley should any costs remain.

The District 5 seat, representing most of Novato, is being vacated by Supervisor Eric Lucan, who is running for the California Assembly.

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