A recount will begin within the next week for the Chula Vista City Council race won by just two votes.
San Diego County Registrar of Voters Michael Vu confirmed Thursday his office has received the formal request for a recount in the District 1 race between John McCann and Steve Padilla.
On Tuesday, Vu's certified results showed McCann won with 18,448 votes to Padilla's 18,446.
But the recount was officially requested by Humberto Peraza Jr., who is lobbyist and a Southwestern Community College board trustee.
He is expected to release details about why he requested the recount at a Friday press conference.
Vu's office has seven days to start the ballot counting process all over again.
After the official results were released, Padilla released a statement saying it was time for a recount, since the 37,000 vote election came down to only two.
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"Throughout the vote counting process, the percentage of the vote varied widely, with the vote count resulting in a tie at one point and eight votes, a significant number in a race this close, shifting after less than 2,500 ballots were recounted during the Registrar’s reconciliation," said Padilla's Tuesday statement.
Last week, McCann told NBC 7, "We want to get back to business at the city of Chula Vista as soon as possible, and so it would be a shame that he wouldn't just concede."
According to Vu, the person who requests the recount must pay the cost, which could be over $40,000. It could take more than a week.
If a new winner emerges as a result of the recount, the registrar's office would pay the recount fees.
Vu told NBC 7 overturning on an election on a recount is not common, though that assessment is based on races will much larger margins.
Regardless, McCann will be sworn into the seat on Dec. 9.
The last time Chula Vista saw a close race like this was in June 2010, when U.S. Rep. Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) went up against then-Assemblywoman Mary Salas for the 40th state Senate District. The race did end in a recount, but Salas halted it on the third day, allowing Vargas to win by 22 votes.
