Councilman Dave Asher and hopeful Jason Gardiner remain in first place in the race for Position 6 and 2 on the Kirkland City Council.

King County’s election office released a third vote tally on Thursday, and so far 25.83 percent of the ballots have been counted.

For Position 6, Asher is holding steady with 5,917 votes, or 53 percent, and will advance to the November election along with his challenger, James A. Hart. In second place, Hart has dipped to 25 percent Thursday, from 26.89 on the first day of counting.

Martin Morgan, who is also vying for Position 6, gained 751 more votes on Thursday’s count with 2,376 votes. However, he appears too far behind to catch up with 21 percent.

In the race for Position 2 on the council, Gardiner still holds a slight lead over Councilman Bob Sternoff. Gardiner drew 5,233 votes, or 48.16 percent, while Sternoff drew 5,002 votes, or 46.3 percent.

A third candidate, Chuck Hinson, who withdrew from the race but was still on the ballot due to technicalities, drew 572 votes.

The top two vote-getters in the two primary election races will advance to the general election in November. King County Elections Division will post results at 4:30 weekdays, with final results posted online at noon Aug. 31.