The Sparks City Council will formally declare the winners of the 2026 general election at a special meeting Friday, Nov. 13, at 10 a.m.

The canvass meeting is the procedural step that makes election results official. Council members will review the vote totals and confirm who won each contested race, according to 2 News Nevada.

The mayoral race between challenger Wendi Rawson and incumbent Mayor Ed Lawson is separated by fewer than 200 votes. Rawson, a winery owner and registered Republican, held a 180-vote lead as of Nov. 5, according to This Is Reno. She had 17,294 votes to Lawson's 17,114. KOLO reported that Rawson still held a slight advantage as of noon Nov. 9, though the station did not provide an updated vote count.

Both candidates are registered Republicans. Rawson was endorsed by the Washoe County Republican Party, according to The Nevada Independent. Lawson has served as mayor since 2020 and spent a decade on the council before that, This Is Reno reported.

The margin could still shift. As of Nov. 8, Washoe County had counted 99% of ballots, KTVN reported. About 1,900 provisional ballots determined eligible were awaiting counting. Another roughly 1,100 mail ballots needed a signature cure, with Nov. 9 as the deadline for voters to confirm their identity.

The mayoral race is not the only Sparks contest headed for the canvass. In Ward 2, challenger Jamie O'Connell leads incumbent Council member Dian VanderWell with 59.5% of the vote, according to the Reno Gazette Journal. VanderWell conceded the race, saying in a statement reported by The Nevada Independent, "I am proud of the accomplishments I made and the policies I helped direct."

Ward 4's seat was settled in the primary. Adam Mayberry won with more than 50% of the vote and will replace Council member Charlene Bybee, who ran for mayor and lost in the primary, the Reno Gazette Journal reported.

The newly elected mayor and possibly two council members will be sworn in at the Sparks Legislative Building during the same Nov. 13 meeting, according to the Reno Gazette Journal. The first regular council meeting with the new officials is scheduled for Nov. 23.

Residents can watch the Nov. 13 canvass meeting live on the City of Sparks YouTube channel.