Given the 118 vote margin by which the recall of Lance MacLean has unofficially prevailed, it's worth noting there are still 1,140 ballots left to be counted. OC Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley promised to have those tabulated by the end of the day. There about 230 provisional ballots and 900 walk-in vote-by-mail ballots (it's difficult to know when the latter were actually completed, but it's safe to assume it was late in the election given they were dropped off on Election Day).

According to MacLean consultant Scott Taylor, MacLean won Election Day votes 57% to 43%. If that ratio holds for the remaining ballots, the result could flip and the recall could lose by a very narrow margin. I don't know how likely it is, but it is definitely possible since the remaining ballots will be late votes by their nature, and the recall lost support as Election Day approached.

We'll find out in about 8 hours.

It's interesting to compare the amounts spent by replacement election candidates Dale Tyler and Dave Leckness. Tyler, the very public face of the recall, raised at least $30,000 as of January 25 -- virtually all of it his -- and it looks like he spent almost every penny.

As of January 14, Dave Leckness had raised a little more than $10,000 (about 40% of it a personal loan) and had only spent approximately $5,500. He apparently didn't send out any mail the last two weeks of the campaign.

And yet Leckness walloped the Face Of The Recall by nearly 1,000 votes.

This reinforces my opinion that this is a Pyrrhic victory for the recall clique. Keep in mind their real goal was to give their council allies John Paul Ledesma and Cathy Schlicht a third vote and gain a council majority. The recallers hate Mayor Pro Tem Trish Kelley and Councilman Frank Ury every bit as much as Lance MacLean, but focused on a recalling MacLean because he was the weakest politically. A low-turnout recall election made sense because:

A) it increased their odds of replacing MacLean with one of their own and

B) Since Ledesma is termed off the council in November, gaining a council majority would require winning two seats in November versus one ina recall.

And at the end of all their exertions, what have the recallers achieved?:

• They remain at the wrong end of a 3-2 council majority -- in fact, a politically stronger majority given Leckness' popularity and lack of negative baggage going into November.
   
• Dale Tyler is out at least $30,000 he'll never get back, and finds himself on the receiving end of investigations by the District Attorney, the state Fair Political Practices Commission and the California Highway Patrol.
   
• Bankroller Connie Lee is out for even more loot, and also finds herself at the receiving end of a DA investigation.

Like I said, a Pyrrhic victory -- assuming it holds when all the ballots are counted.

UPDATE: Here's a more precise breakdown of the remaining ballots:

• Vote by Mail ballots handed in at the poll sites yesterday (864)
   
• Provisional ballots (235)
   
• Paper ballots cast at the polls (41)

TOTAL: 1,140