LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With only a small percentage of the thousands of ballots cast in Lake County counted, most races in Lake County on Wednesday remain too close to call even in an initial count.

By 4 a.m., initial counts of the county’s 48 precincts had been completed, putting the count at just under 21% of registered voters.

Based on past presidential elections in Lake County, voter turnout is expected to be over 70% when the final count is completed.

With the California Secretary of State’s Office reporting it must fully certify all races by Dec. 13 — with county elections offices to complete their work between Dec. 3 and 6 — it will be weeks before most races will be known definitively. 

Early Wednesday, candidates in city council and school board races were separated by narrow margins with only fractions of the total votes counted.

At the elections office, thousands of ballots are waiting to be tallied during the official canvass period, which starts Wednesday.

One race that does appear to have a clearer potential outcome revolves around Measure U, the countywide advisory ballot measure that asks if the name of the town of Kelseyville should be renamed to Konocti.

Based on the early count of 48 county precincts, “no” votes totaled 5,429 or 71.99%, versus “yes” votes of 2,112, or 28.01%.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.