The outcome of last week’s 2025 Consolidated General Election is holding firm in Peoria County so far, with an updated count of provisional and mail-in ballots.
The Peoria County Election Commission posted an update on the unofficial vote counts late Tuesday. Two Peoria City Council races with election night results too close to call definitively saw marginal change.
The race for Peoria City Council District 2 saw two newcomers to Peoria politics competing to fill the vacated seat of long-serving councilmember Chuck Grayeb after a mayoral bid that failed to pass the primary.
As of Tuesday’s update, Caterpillar employee Estrella Diaz lags behind artist Alex Carmona by 49 votes. The gap is tighter than election night, where Carmona led by 73 votes.
On election night, Carmona said he remains “cautiously optimistic” and complimented his opponent on a “very clean race.” Diaz said she considered whatever the final outcome is a win, because it’s a learning opportunity and “what the people want.”
In District 4, incumbent Andre Allen maintained his hold on the seat. Challenger Jamie Messmore remains 125 votes behind the incumbent, an approximately 51-49% margin. The gap is slightly wider than the slim 79-vote lead Allen held on election night.
When contacted by WCBU on election night, Allen said he considers the close race an affirmation of the importance of speaking to his constituents and assessing their needs.
Other races with definitive wins held mostly steady across the board.
Of note, Peoria Mayor-elect Rita Ali’s lead extended by around one percentage point ahead of challenger and at-large council member John Kelly.
About a week still remains for the Peoria County Election commission to continue counting mail-in ballots postmarked by April 1 and provisional ballots. The election results will be certified on April 16.
Prior to the election, Peoria County Elections Commissioner Elizabeth Gannon told WCBU there is no margin that automatically triggers a recount in any of these races, however close. A candidate could request a recount when the results are certified.
The next update is expected sometime Thursday on the commission’s website.
