State Rep. Mark Hargrove, R-Covington, will return to Olympia after a recount upheld his victory over Kent Democratic challenger Bud Sizemore for the State House District 47 Position 1 seat.
King County Elections completed a mandatory machine recount of the race Tuesday. The recount resulted in one more vote for Hargrove. One other ballot originally counted as blank was visually reviewed and determined to have a write-in vote that was not attributable to either candidate, according to an Elections office media release.
The race went to a recount after Hargrove, a Boeing instructor pilot and Air Force veteran, led Sizemore by just 157 votes through the final tally on Nov. 27. Sizemore is a Kent firefighter and former Covington City councilman.
Before the recount Hargrove had 50.08 percent (27,101 votes) while Sizemore has 49.79 percent (26,944 votes). There were 71 write-in votes for .13 percent.
Another 4,583 ballots were left blank when voters had a chance to choose between the two candidates or write in a name.
By law, any office must be recounted by machine when the difference between two candidates is less than 2,000 votes and less than .50 percent, according to the King County Elections website.
Hargrove’s lead had been more than 300 votes until dropping to 284 votes on Nov. 19, 241 on Nov. 20 and to 134 on Nov. 26.
In machine recounts, the tabulating equipment is programmed to examine votes for the specific race being recounted. Some ballots are identified for closer inspection by Elections staff to confirm that the original results were correct.
After all ballots have been recounted, the Elections Canvassing Board reviews and approves the amended results. The board members are Sherril Huff, director of Elections; Kevin Wright, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office representative; and Anne Noris, King County Council representative.
Official results will be posted on the Elections website after the Canvassing Board certifies the recount on Dec. 6.
Hargrove was elected to his first two-year term after defeating Democrat Geoff Simpson in 2010.
House District 47 covers the East Hill of Kent as well as Covington, Black Diamond and parts of Auburn.
