WASHINGTON (AP) - Early results from the special election indicate a lead for former council member Vincent Orange. His closest competitor,  Republican Patrick Mara, conceded the race Tuesday night, the Washington Post reports.

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Orange received 28.27 percent of the vote, the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics reported. This meant 12,216 people voted for Orange, according to results on the board's website.

Earlier, the board sent a tweet saying percentages had been miscalculated, a mistake that was corrected around 11:30 p.m. 

Democrat Sekou Biddle came in third followed by Bryan Weaver. Turnout was slow with an unofficial turnout of just over 12 percent reported Tuesday night.

Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics said most of the results from Tuesday's voting should be in by around midnight.

But absentee and provisional ballots won't be counted until May 6. With turnout expected to be light, those ballots could prove critical.

Nine candidates are vying to fill the seat vacated by Kwame Brown when he became Council chairman, including Democrat Sekou Biddle, who's holding the seat on an interim basis. Other candidates include former Council member Vincent Orange and State Board of Education member Patrick Mara, the only Republican in the race.