Body of News Release
Marin County, CA – The requested recount of the District 5 Supervisorial race in the June 2, 2026, Statewide Primary Election has been discontinued after the requestor, a candidate in the election, did not submit the required payment by the deadline set by the Marin County Elections Department.
Under California Elections Code, candidate Andy Podshadley was required to deposit the estimated cost of continuing the recount by 9 a.m. Wednesday, July 22, with the Elections Department. Before the deadline, Podshadley notified the staff by email Wednesday morning that he would not be delivering the required deposit to the department office at the Marin County Civic Center. Since that required deposit was not received by the deadline, the recount was terminated.
Pursuant to state law, the recount is discontinued and the election results certified on June 26 remain the official election results. Following the official canvass of votes, the final certified results posted June 26 showed Magali Limeta with 50.27% of the vote, Podshadley with 17.66%, Curtis G Aikens with 12.62%, Chris Carpiniello with 11.30%, and Marc Hunter Lewis with 8.15%. By earning more than 50% of the vote, Limeta won the District 5 seat outright and a runoff for the November General Election was therefore not required. Had Limeta’s count been less than 50%, the top two candidates would have been placed on the November ballot.
Before the recount was discontinued July 22, Elections staff documented minor differences between the manual recount and the certified canvass. Such differences are not uncommon during recounts and fell within the range of normal variations observed in manual review. None of these differences would have changed the overall outcome of the election.
California law requires that a recount be completed before any revised vote totals may be certified or become part of the official election results. Because the recount was not completed because payment was not received, no vote totals identified during the partial recount may be incorporated into the certified results.
The June 2 election was conducted in accordance with California Elections Code and California Secretary of State regulations. The certified canvass included all ballots determined to be valid under California law and was completed using the procedures required for California elections. The certified election results remain the official results of the District 5 Supervisorial race.
Registrar of Voters Natalie Adona said Podshadley has paid $25,333.45 toward the recount. Adona will determine the cost of conducting the recount by following state standards and evaluating actual staff time and materials. Final costs are determined once a recount is either completed or terminated. Under state regulations, the Elections Department must return any overpaid amounts to Podshadley. If any amounts were underpaid, then Podshadley will receive a bill for the difference. More information on recounts can be found on the Elections website.
The District 5 seat, which represents the majority of Novato’s population, is currently held by Board of Supervisors President Eric Lucan, who chose not to run for reelection. He is a candidate for a State Assembly seat representing District 12.