Recount Requested In Howard County Council Race: Report

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Councilman Jon Weinstein has reportedly requested a recount after he and opponent Elizabeth Walsh were separated by two votes in the Democratic primary for the District 1 race. District 1 in Howard County encompasses Ellicott City, Elkridge and Hanover.

Both candidates had 50 percent of the vote, based on the unofficial results from the Maryland Board of Elections. Walsh had 3,173 votes, and Weinstein had 3,171, state election officials reported.

A candidate who comes within 0.1 percent of another candidate may request a recount at no cost to the individual, according to WTOP.

Weinstein falls within that range in a race that was the closest in recent history, one election official said.

"...I've never been part of an election this close," Howard County Board of Elections Director Guy Mickley, who has been working in elections for 22 years, told the news station.

Republican candidate for District 1 Raj Kathuria ran uncontested.

After hearing from 200 community members, Weinstein requested a manual recount that would begin Wednesday, according to The Baltimore Sun, which reported it would cost $25,000 and involve multiple people counting the votes and calling them out for a tally.

If the race shows that Weinstein won, Walsh will have two days to request a recount, according to The Sun, which said the process would be wrapped up this week.

See the unofficial primary results from the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Howard is not the only jurisdiction with a race too close to call. In Baltimore County, the county executive race will be recounted after two Democrats came within nine votes of one another.

SEE ALSO: Vote Recount Request Pending In Baltimore County

Image of voting booths via Shutterstock. Preliminary results from the Maryland Board of Elections.