MOUNT VERNON – Recounts for three township elections took place Monday, Nov. 30, by the Knox County Board of Elections because the difference in votes in those races was below the automatic threshold.
The difference between the apparent winners and losers in the Howard, Jefferson and Pike townships’ elections was less than one half of one percent, which triggers an automatic recount, Kim Horn, Knox County director of elections, told the Mount Vernon News.
The elections board met at 8 a.m. at the board offices to conduct a manual hand count of all votes in the precincts for those trustee races.
Recounts are not common, she said.
“Audits are done after every election. After the recount we will do the audit Dec. 8,” Horn said.
Voters in Knox County use paper ballots, which are scanned with results put on a USB drive for the initial vote count.
In Howard Township, Gregory E. Lawson had 489 votes to secure one of the two trustee positions up for election. But Clarence Griffith’s second place total of 444 votes was only two more than Craig Gilmore’s total.
Alan Huffman trailed with 189 votes.
In Jefferson Township, it was a similar story as voters picked two trustees. Doyle Sumrall’s 86 votes was enough to secure one of the posts. But Frank DiMarco’s 54 votes was one vote less than Justin M. Kauffman’s total for the second trustee’s post.
Ray Williams (41), Larry M. George (36) and Layne Reed (27), appear to have fallen short in the election.
Pike Township voters also had to pick two candidates for the trustee positions on the ballot. Curtis N. Bechtel’s 108 votes was just one more vote than John E. Crunkilton received.
Daniel R. Robinson was significantly ahead with 132 votes to secure one of the two trustee seats.
