Mayor Lori Lightfoot may not make it to the runoff election in the Chicago mayoral race after polling numbers show her falling behind.

A new poll from M3 Strategies shows former CEO of Chicago Public Schools Paul Vallas leading the mayoral race at 32%, followed by swiftly rising Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson at 18%. Lightfoot trailed behind with 13.6%, according to ABC 7 News. Voters will cast their ballots, if they haven't already, on Tuesday at locations across the city.

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If none of the candidates receive 50% of the vote on Tuesday, the race will go to a runoff between the top two candidates on April 4, with a new term beginning in May. A runoff is the most likely scenario, given polling over the course of the race.

"Politically, you know, Paul Vallas holds up in the 30s and two or more candidates are still jockeying for second place," said Matt Podgorski, pollster with M3 Strategies. "He'll have unfettered access to the voters and the donors, and it's a huge advantage."

Because there is no clear second-place finisher, voters can expect multiple candidates, especially Lightfoot, requesting recounts, which may not be completed until two to three weeks post-Election Day.

Candidates who finish within 5% of second place are able to file for a recount, but requests cannot be filed until the election results are certified, with a deadline for certification of March 21. The Chicago Board of Elections is hoping to certify the election by March 15.

Mail-in voting can expect to delay the results, as well. So far, close to 210,000 ballots have been requested, which can be postmarked as late as Election Day on Tuesday. Those received by Monday will be opened, processed, and counted on Election Day and included in election-night results after 7 p.m.

However, it could take two to four days for mail-in ballots to come in and be counted.

Vallas has been gaining traction with voters for his experience in education and plans to address crime and city budgeting — all areas that Lightfoot has been blasted for her approach over her years as mayor. He is on track to perform significantly better than he did in the past, when he ran for mayor in 2019 and lost with 5.4% of vote.

Lightfoot has faced a tough reelection campaign to hold on to her position as mayor, a position in which she made history, becoming the first black woman and first openly gay mayor for Chicago.

She has previously indicated that she believes the election will go to a runoff and fully expects to be there, but "we can’t take anything for chance."

Lightfoot's opponents have all blasted her for running "smear" campaigns against her fellow candidates instead of offering solutions to issues such as crime, education, taxes, and immigration.

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However, Lightfoot has not backed down in debates and has claimed that her plans are working.

"I’m unapologetic about the things that we have done to help working men and women in this city," Lightfoot said. "And I’m unapologetic about saying to you that, if you vote for me, the foundation that we have set over these last four years through the most difficult time that our city has ever seen, we will build upon that, and the West Side will rise again."