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Washington Evening Journal
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Washington, IA 52353
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County recounts started in tight 2nd District contest
The recount in the race for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District seat is underway.
Washington County conducted its recount on Thursday and Friday last week.
'We came up with the exact same total that we canvassed,” Washington County Auditor Dan Widmer said Monday morning. 'I'm very happy that there was no discrepancy.”
The county's totals for the race showed 6,633 votes for Republican state. Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and 4,650 for Democrat Rita Hart.
Widmer said that the recount of 11,820 ballots cast in the Nov. 3 general election was a machine recount.
'We set up three machines so we could count the ballots,” Widmer said.
The recounts in Henry and Jefferson counties began Monday morning.
Melissa Fowler of the Jefferson County Auditor's Office said that the recount of the 9,009 general election ballots cast in Jefferson County is being done by hand.
In each county of the 24 counties in the Congressional district, a three-member committee consisting of a representative from each of the two campaigns and a third member selected by the other two members choose the manner of the recount.
'The recount will go through tomorrow,” Fowler said Monday. 'We're hoping it doesn't go into Wednesday, but it might.”
The initial results showed Hart with 4,373 votes in Jefferson County and Miller-Meeks with 4,227 votes.
The 10,043 general election ballots cast in Henry County are being recounted by machine, according to Henry County Deputy Auditor Andrea Cook.
'They will work up to 4:30 p.m. today,” Cook said Monday. 'If they need to come in tomorrow, they will.”
Initial totals show Miller-Meeks won Henry County with 5,852 votes to Hart's 3,607 votes.
The recounts in all 24 counties have to be completed by the end of this week. The state will certify election results on Nov. 30.
Members of the Jefferson County Recount Board Lee Dimmitt, left, and Sara Riley sort absentee ballots by precinct Monday during the county's hand recount of the U.S. House District 2 race between Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Democrat Rita Hart. Dimmitt represented Miller-Meeks's campaign, and Riley was there on behalf of Hart's campaign. (Andy Hallman/The Union)
Susan Muntz sorts ballots Monday at the Jefferson County Courthouse as part of the hand recount of the U.S. House District 2 race. Muntz is an independent and one of three members of the recount board that is conducting the recount. Jefferson County Elections Clerk Abbie DeKleine said she hopes the recount will be finished by Tuesday afternoon. The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors will meet at 4 p.m. Wednesday to certify the results. (Andy Hallman/The Union)
