Update: 11:30 p.m.
Nelson extended his lead to 67 votes following a third release of ballots Tuesday night.
Nelson had 11,202 votes to Owen's 11,135. Percentage-wise, he leads 38.81 percent to 38.58 percent— a difference of .23 points.
According to Montana law, candidates trailing by less than .25 percent after the final count can request a recount.
Update: 9:15 p.m.
The gap between Mike Nelson and Jennifer shrunk to four votes in the second release of ballots Tuesday night.
Nelson leads 9,732 votes to Owen's 9,728 votes, a margin of one-one-hundredth of a percentage point.
On Tuesday night, both candidates said they were waiting until all votes were cast before determining their next steps.
"I think we probably are just getting started, but you know what, let's count the votes. Let's count them correctly. No matter how long it takes, let's get the right result. Everybody has a right to vote, and their vote is important," Nelson said at his campaign party at the Pub Station.
"I think people are engaged. They're excited. People have been very wonderful throughout this campaign process. I'm incredibly grateful, so we're just going to see how it plays out tonight," Owen said at her event at Hilands Golf Club.
See the candidates react below:
Billings also five city council races. Here's the results as of 10 p.m.
Ward 1
Mark Nicholson 2,377
David Redmon 1,462
Ward 2
Earnest Hammer 856
Denis Pitman 2,309
Kassi Strong 2,194
Ward 3
Amy Aguirre 2,577
TJ Rogers 1,883
Click here for updated results.
Billings businessman Mike Nelson and City Council member Jennifer Owen are leading the race for the city’s mayor in early returns.
Nelson, who owns the Northern Hotel, had 9,088 votes, while Owen collected 9,021, according to the first count from the Yellowstone County Elections Office. City Council member Mike Boyett is in third place with 3,913, while challenger Amanda Housler rounds out the race with 1,501.
Yellowstone County elections officials expect to release one or two more counts Tuesday night.
A new wrinkle on the ballots could delay results. As of Tuesday afternoon, about 3 percent of all ballots were rejected, the majority because voters forgot to put their birth year on the outside of the ballot in accordance with a new state law.
Elections officials said they are allowing voters to fix the error through Wednesday, and they will release a final count that evening.
Voter turnout is 36.56 percent, according to the elections office.
See previous Q2 coverage here:
Mike Nelson touts business, development experience in bid for Billings mayor
Jennifer Owen focuses on families, transparency in bid for Billings mayor
Mike Boyett highlights lifetime of service in run for Billings mayor
Amanda Housler brings youthful energy to race for Billings mayor
