Is a "Leave Open" vote an offsetting vote or just lack of a "Close" vote?

Question

What is the Close Votes queue mechanism?:

1. Two counters, a Close count and a Leave Open count; the first count to reach 5 determines the outcome? (A definitive resolution with a maximum of 9 votes.)

2. A single counter that requires 5 close votes before the queue expires; a Leave Open vote offsets a Close vote, reducing the Close vote count? (If voting was evenly divided, a question could be voted on almost unlimited times without reaching 5.)

3. A Leave Open vote is just lack of a Close vote; it registers participation in the queue but does not offset Close votes? (Regardless of the number of "Leave Open" votes, a total of 5 close votes results in closure.)

My understanding was that it was #1, but occasional, apparent "odd" things have me wondering.

Answer 1

A "Leave Open" vote (or even an Edit action) is not exactly a counter-attack or offset to a normal close vote.

Instead it is a counter or ticker to move the question out of the close review queue, and back into the normal circulation of things.

Sitting in the Close review queue is focussed attention. Three "Leave Open" votes knocks it out of the rounds for a while so that the close vote ageing happens as quietly as running into the question outside of the review queues.

Answer 2

As I understand it, it is the last. However, enough leave open votes should put the question off the queue, and hopefully the close votes should expire