SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — After four days of hand counting ballots, the Spokane County Elections Office finished their recount for the tight Commissioner of Public Lands race around noon on Thursday.
Following the state's certification deadline for August's Primary Election, Democrat Dave Upthegrove led by a thin margin over Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson. Upthegrove and Pederson are in a battle for the second and final general election spot against Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler, who garnered 22% of the votes (419,297 votes).
The primary election results listed Upthegrove with 396,300 votes against Pederson’s 396,249 — a difference of just 51 votes, which resulted in a statewide recount.
In Spokane County, the Elections Office used a total of 35 employees to count a total of 144,832 ballots in 1,076 batches — which physically fill 78 storage boxes.
“The staff performed the recount with skill, dedication, and accuracy,” said Vicky Dalton, Spokane County Auditor. “The stamina of the political party observers was admirable. It isn’t easy to sit quietly for 2 hours intently watching pieces of paper being moved from one stack to another stack.”
As of Friday morning, the Office of the Washington Secretary of State confirmed that 35 of the 39 counties in the state have finished their recounts.
What comes next?
According to the Office of the WA Secretary of State, the counties that have completed their recount will schedule a meeting with their Canvassing Board to certify the results for their county.
It is expected that the WA Secretary of State will certify the election around noon on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Once the recount is certified, the candidate — either Dave Upthegrove or Sue Kuehl Pederson — that wins the second spot in the Commissioner of Public Lands race will appear on the General Election ballot along with the candidate that received the highest votes, Jaime Herrera Butler.