Early election results show a tight race between candidates Laura Babitt and Daria Wrubel in Berkeley City Council District 1, while incumbent Councilmember Mark Humbert holds a stronger lead in District 8.

Among the four Berkeley City Council districts up for election this November, Districts 1 and 8 each have more than two candidates and will take longer to be called, as candidates are chosen through ranked-choice voting.

In ranked-choice voting, voters can rank up to five candidates in order of preference. This system allows voters to elect officials through a majority without a runoff election. Berkeley is among several other cities in Alameda County — including Albany, Oakland and San Leandro — that use ranked-choice voting to elect most local officials.

For District 1, located in Northwest Berkeley, former Berkeley School board director Babitt holds the lead against youth therapist Wrubel 52% to 48% in round four of ranked-choice voting.

Babitt and Wrubel differ sharply on key District 1 issues, such as the former homeless encampment at Eighth and Harrison streets.

Babitt has called for the city of Berkeley to establish a no-camping ordinance and clear homeless encampments. Meanwhile, Wrubel supports establishing alternative housing sites where homeless people can live in tents and vehicles with running water, trash disposal and other services.

“Whatever the final result, I am proud that we ran a campaign focused on the issues affecting people’s everyday lives and on what we can accomplish together,” Babitt said in an election-night email to The Daily Californian.

Wrubel said she is still feeling hopeful about her chances in an email Wednesday night. She also emphasized her excitement for sweeping Democrat wins across the country as well as early results on Berkeley city measures.

“Berkeley voters obviously have many shared values, and a willingness to sacrifice for the common good,” Wrubel said. “We’re lucky to live in such a loving community.”

Meanwhile, in District 8, Humbert leads against challenger Michael Wallman in round three of ranked-choice voting, 57% to 43% as of press time.

“The preliminary results confirm that Berkeley continues to believe in pragmatic leadership grounded in evidence, experience, and long-term engagement, and I am humbled and grateful to my neighbors for again placing their trust in me,” Humbert said in an email on Wednesday night.

In the race to represent District 8, which includes the Elmwood neighborhood, upzoning — changing zoning laws to allow for higher-density development — has become a point of contention.

Humbert supports a limited upzoning plan for three-to-four-story buildings on three sites in Elmwood, to balance creating more affordable housing with supporting small businesses.

Wallman strongly opposes Elmwood upzoning, which he claims “would potentially destroy the Elmwood.”

“We would lose a lot of the small businesses, and so it just doesn’t fit,” Wallman said in a previous interview with the Daily Cal.