A week after the election, Democratic challenger Christy Smith now leads Assemblyman Dante Acosta, but the race for the 38th Assembly District is still too close to call.

Smith now leads Acosta by about 1,700 votes as of Tuesday afternoon, with tens of thousands of ballots needed to be counted.

“This is going to be a long process,” said Smith. “We are very optimistic as we move forward, every vote counts and once they are counted we’ll know the outcome.”

Acosta previously led by 1,222 the morning after the election on Nov. 6, but Smith closed the gap, trailing behind by about 200 votes on Friday.

This provision of the law recognizes the complexity of completing the ballot count and conducting a thorough audit of the election results to ensure accuracy, according to the registrar’s office.

County Clerk Dean C. Logan reported a preliminary estimate of 688,000 outstanding ballots, with about 40,000 in AD-38, to be processed during the Official Election Canvass period.

See Related: Acosta, Smith Assembly Race Too Close To Call, See What Happens Next

“Right now, we are just waiting and seeing what happens as more ballots roll in to be counted,” said Acosta. “I just want to thank the community for their support throughout my time in office and the campaign.”

The estimate includes provisional and vote-by-mail ballots collected at the polls, as well as vote-by-mail ballots received in the mail postmarked on or before Election Day.

The 2018 Midterm Election marks the second time the candidates have faced off for AD-38. Acosta won the election in 2016, with Smith trailing behind by 6,000 votes, according to the Secretary of State.

The Los Angeles County Registrar has up to 30 days to certify the Nov. 6 election and is expected to make updates every Tuesday and Friday as the deadline nears, said Brenda Duran, spokesperson.

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