Election Month?
We’ve moved from Election Day to Election Week. Will Election Month be far behind? The mayoral race continues to remain undecided, with mail-in ballots still coming in. As of writing, Mike McGinn still holds a razor-thin 515 vote margin over Joe Mallahan.
According to The Stranger, Mallahan’s campaign spokesperson acknowledged Thursday: "I don't see how this doesn't go to a recount." On the other side, the McGinn campaign appears to be hunkering down and waiting out the results like the rest of us.
So, how is this all going to play out? The Weekly has the details:
A machine recount in King County is automatically triggered when the vote spread is less than 2,000 votes and one-half of one percent (as it is now). A hand recount has a much smaller threshold--150 votes and a spread less than a quarter of a percent. And remember, either campaign can ask for a recount and if it changes the outcome, the candidate doesn't have to pay for it.
Psychologically speaking, it’s good news for the McGinn campaign to have the initial lead. If our memory of the-recount-from-hell-who-dares-not-speak-its-name is any indicator, taking an early lead can lend some legitimacy to premature claims of victory. However, both sides seem unwilling to rock the boat at least until the first vote count is finished, and the only certainty is that this thing isn’t going to be decided any time soon.
Filed in News and tagged election 09, joe mallahan, Mayoral, mike mcginn