State election officials: No recount in Moses Lake council race

MOSES LAKE — State election officials have stated the separation between the second and third place finishers in the Moses Lake City Council Position No. 1 race does not meet the threshold for a mandatory recount. An error in calculations by the Grant County Election Department led to the belief a recount was needed.

The county election department previously stated a recount would be held for Position No. 1 due to the difference between third place finisher Todd Voth, who received 741 votes in the primary, and second place finisher Dean Hankins, who received 751 votes. Mike Riggs was the leading vote getter with 785 votes. The county election department told the Columbia Basin Herald on Wednesday a mix-up in calculations about what constitutes a mandatory recount led to the belief a recount was needed.

In order for a recount to occur, the difference between the second and third place candidate must be less than one-half of one percent and less than 150 votes, according to Secretary of State Communications Director Erich Ebel. The 10-vote difference between Voth and Hankins met half of the requirement, but the percentage difference between the two candidates came in at .67 percent, which put the race “out of mandatory recount range,” Ebel explained.

There is still an opportunity for a recount to occur, but for that to happen an application needs to be filed sometime today.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.