FINAL ELECTION NIGHT REPORT:
Tiffany Hunt Nielsen grew her lead a bit more in the final election night count, pulling 46 percent of the 13,271 votes counted for clerk-recorder and registrar of voters, outpacing Juan Pablo Cervantes’ 41 percent of the vote and Benjamin Hershberger’s 13 percent. The tally seemingly leaves Nielsen and Cervantes poised for a November runoff.

FOURTH REPORT:
Tiffany Hunt Nielsen built on her lead in the fourth return of the night and is now holds a solid lead in the clerk-recorder and registrar of voters race, having taken 46 percent of the 12,605 ballots counted thus far to Juan Pablo Cervantes’ 41 percent. Benjamin Hershberger sits in a distant third with 13 percent of the vote.

THIRD REPORT:
The third election night report only added about 250 votes to the night’s tally and the race for county clerk-recorder and registrar of voters remains tight, with Tiffany Hunt Nielsen holding a slim lead with 45 percent of the vote to Juan Pablo Cervantes’ 43 percent with 11,802 ballots counted thus far. Benjamin Hershberger, meanwhile, remains a distant third with13 percent of the vote.

SECOND REPORT:
The second election night report didn’t add many votes to the night’s tally and the race to for county clerk-recorder and registrar of voters remains tight, with Tiffany Hunt Nielsen leading with 45 percent of the 11,317 ballots counted so far, while Juan Pablo Cervantes trails with 42 percent and Benjamin Hershberger is running a distant third with 13 percent of the vote.

FIRST REPORT:
Tiffany Hunt Nielsen has jumped out to a narrow early lead in the three-way race to replace retiring Kelly Sanders as Humboldt County's clerk-recorder and registrar of voters.

In the first Election Night return — entirely comprised of ballots that arrived at the Humboldt County Elections office prior to today — Nielsen leads with 45 percent of the vote, trailed by Juan Pablo Cervantes with 43 percent of the vote, while Benjamin Hershberger has 13 percent of the 10,962 ballots counted thus far.

With Sanders, a two-term incumbent, opting not to seek re-election, the three hopefuls have entered the fray in a bid to succeed her and oversee both the county Elections Office and Recorder's Office, which is responsible for maintaining vital records — things like birth and death certificates, and marriage licenses — and other legal documents.

Cervantes, an elections specialist for the county Office of Elections, said he is running because he's "passionate" about transparent and efficient county government. Hershberger, meanwhile, has worked for the county for 26 years, the last 16 in the Recorder's Office as its fiscal officer, and indicated he wants to continue the direction set by Sanders. Nielsen, meanwhile, is a senior recordable document examiner at the Recorder's Office, having entered county employment after 17 years at Humboldt Land Title Co.