Time and the number of votes remaining to count in the close Auburn mayoral race are running out.

As of Monday afternoon, City Councilmember and Deputy Mayor Backus led her fellow Councilmember John Partridge by 130 votes in the combined totals of King and Pierce County.

Backus, hoping to be Auburn’s first female mayor, has received 6,697 votes so far in the combined total of King and Pierce counties, 50.51 percent, to John Partridge’s combined 6,563 votes, or 49.49 percent.

In King County Partridge leads Backus by 168 votes. Backus’s bulwark continues to be the Lakeland Hills section of Auburn in Pierce County, where she has a 302-vote lead.

Backus isn’t yet willing to declare it over.

“I know the numbers are getting close, but the cautious side of me won’t let go until I see the last numbers,” Backus said. “As the numbers now sit, John would have to get 70-to-80 percent of the remaining vote, and that type of change seems highly unlikely. I’m feeling much better, but I would prefer this were done without the need for further counting.”

Partridge said he would continue to watch the vote count until the last ballot is counted.

“One-hundred-fifty-one ballots were counted on Friday. According to King County, there are somewhere between 900 and 1,200 votes yet to be counted. I wish they would count a bit faster, but I’m enjoying the suspense,” Partridge said. “I improved 30 votes this week and want to thank everyone who supported the campaign. I believe in giving everyone who voted a chance to be counted. We’ll see how it turns out by the 26th.”

As of Monday, numbers show, Partridge would need more than 90 percent of the remaining votes in Auburn to prevail.

The vote is certified Nov. 26.

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ELECTION UPDATE

Combined King and Pierce County votes (as of Monday afternoon)

Auburn Mayor

Nancy Backus, 6,631 votes,

50.49 percent

vs.

John Partridge, 6,501 votes,

49.51 percent

Auburn City Council

POSITION 2

Claude DaCorsi

Total: 6,756, 57.21 percent

vs.

Jodi Riker-Yap

Total: 5,054, 42.79 percent

POSITION 4

Yolanda Trout

Total: 6,736, 55.66 percent

vs.

Frank Lonergan

Total: 5,366, 44.34 percent

POSITION 6

Rich Wagner

6,106 votes, 50.14 percent

vs.

Michelle Binetti

6,073, 49.86 percent