Rep. Phil Miller requests recount in House District 82 race

Rep. Phil Miller, D-Jefferson County, filed papers Friday to start a recount of his race for State Representative in Jefferson and Van Buren counties.

'In a close race like this, I owe it to the people of my district to guarantee that every vote is counted,” said Miller. 'I've heard from several people who had difficulty voting and were turned away at the polls.”

House District 82 encompasses all of Davis and Van Buren counties and part of Jefferson County.

After county supervisors in Jefferson, Davis and Van Buren counties canvassed the election last week, Miller trails by just 34 votes, or less than three-tenths of 1 percent.

Republican Jeff Shipley leads 6,111 to 6,077.

Miller, the incumbent, requested recounts in Jefferson County only. He filed the paperwork around 1 p.m. Friday at the Jefferson County Courthouse.

The state of Iowa has no automatic provision for a recount. However, a candidate can file for one.

A recount is a formal process for re-examining and recounting the ballots which were voted and counted for an office or public measure. This includes any disputed ballots returned that were 'objected to” but counted.

Recount boards do not resolve procedural or legal questions about the conduct of the election or the qualifications of voters. No additional evidence, beyond the ballots that were counted, is reviewed during a recount. The board does not decide if ballots were correctly accepted or rejected. The board merely counts ballots which were already counted. The auditor or auditor's designee is responsible for the security of the ballots and must supervise their handling.

The recounts are conducted by a three-person board, consisting of a designee of the candidate requesting the recount, a designee of the apparent winning candidate, and a person chosen jointly by those members.

The board can decide whether the ballots will be recounted by hand or by voting equipment.

If voting equipment is used for the recount, the designee must operate the tabulation machine.The auditor or auditor's designee can help the board be organized, but cannot help count votes. Recount board members are the only ones authorized to decide whether or not to count a vote.

Recounts are open to the public.

The recount is set for 8:30 a.m. Monday at the Jefferson County Courthouse.