Missouri City Council Election Results: Riley Leads By 3 Votes

MISSOURI CITY, TX — The race for the City Council District A seat in Missouri City is down to the wire.

Unofficial results from Fort Bend and Harris Counties in Saturday's runoff election show Monica Riley leads Reginald Pearson by just three votes — 391 to 388 — with all precincts reporting. The outcome is not final until the official results are counted and released.

Official results usually add any straggling ballots, including from overseas and military ballots.

Fort Bend County had only one late arriving ballot by mail, which was received and counted Monday before the certified results were sent from the county to Missouri City, Fort Bend County Elections Administrator John Oldham told Patch on Monday.

Automatic recounts are triggered only in the case of a tie, said Oldham, who added that once Harris County officials send certified results to Missouri City, a candidate may choose to petition the city to conduct a recount.

Neither Riley nor Pearson immediately responded to requests for comment.

Riley and Pearson advanced to the runoff election from a three-candidate race to replace Councilwoman Cheryl Sterling, who opted not to seek re-election. In the Nov. 2 election, Riley and Pearson were the top two finishers in a tight race that separated them by six votes. Riley had 591 votes, followed by Pearson with 585 and Bruce Zaborowski with 86.