MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — As a tight race in Montgomery County for county executive finally comes to a close, the arduous vote-counting process might soon be repeated.
Although Incumbent Marc Elrich declared victory, challenger David Blair said he's planning on a recount.
That's because the margin between the two candidates is a tiny one; just 0.03% or 42 total votes put Elrich on top in the total as of Wednesday, Aug. 10.
The Board of Elections hopes to certify the election by late Friday, according to a spokesperson. Then, a recount petition can be submitted three days later and if so, the board has two days to begin its recount process.
Any candidate for public or party office who has been defeated in any election can petition for a recount, according to the government, and that can be requested for all of the precincts in which the office was on the ballot or any specific precincts in question.
A recount can only be requested if the margin of difference between the two candidates with the most votes is less than 5%.
If that's not enough to make a voter's head spin: note a counterpetition for a recount is also a possibility. That can take place if the recount petition did not request a recount in all of the precincts in which the office was on the ballot and the winner of the election is changed after the results are in the second time around. The counter-petition has to be filed within two days after the results are in.
Although the final votes were still being counted at the time, Elrich tweeted a victory message Saturday thanking his supporters.
"I am honored to be the Democratic nominee for County Executive," he wrote late Saturday night. "I want to thank the voters. I love this county and care about our residents so very deeply. This primary has been a long journey (and certainly exciting).
However, opponent David Blair certainly wasn't on the same page. His full statement can be read below:
“After several weeks of counting and virtually all votes recorded, the Associated Press has declared this race too close to call. Given the extremely close margin, we will be requesting a full recount and are hopeful that the outcome will be in our favor.
Sixteen months ago, we launched our campaign to create a better Montgomery County. We believe that Montgomery County can lead the region in good-paying jobs, properly prepare our students for college and sustainable careers, build affordable housing, effectively implement climate policy and take on rising crime while improving policing. As economic and racial inequities continue to widen, we recognize that the status quo is not good enough and we must strive to do better.
We’ve made a powerful statement that our community wants and deserves proactive and positive local leadership.”
Certain sluggish parts of the election process have already drawn the ire of critics in the state.
Montgomery County State Senator Cheryl Kagan called the situation "a mess" after the county announced initially it could be two to three weeks before all the mail-in counting was finished up in the state’s largest jurisdiction. More than 50% of voters requested mail-in ballots in Montgomery County, according to State Board of Elections figures -- statewide the number was nearly 45%.
“Before the November election, we must fix this," Kagan said. "We cannot have something like this happening again in the fall election."