A tight 2024 election race in Oceanside is now even closer. After Friday’s updated result release from the San Diego Registrar of Voters, only 31 votes separate Oceanside’s incumbent mayor Esther Sanchez and challenger and colleague Deputy Mayor Ryan Keim in the race for the city’s top office. The two have been in a close heat since election night, when the two were separated by a few hundred votes. On Wednesday, the gap narrowed to about 71 with Keim ahead of Sanchez. Now, Sanchez has gained an ever-so-slight lead. Sanchez, a Democrat, and Keim, a Republican have worked side-by-side on the city council for years. Both currently sit on the city council, which functions like a board of directors, with Sanchez as the mayor and Keim as the deputy mayor. No more election results will trickle in until next week. According to the Registrar’s Office, about 56,000 ballots have yet to be counted. In a race this close, a candidate may ask for a recount of the votes. In that case, the person who requests the recount must pay for it, according to the Registrar. The cost is refunded if the results flip after the recount. Any requests must be made within five days of election certification, which is on Dec. 5, 2024, for this election. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.