Wyandotte County starts hand count in tight Kansas gubernatorial race
Election officials are auditing 10% of precincts to verify results where the margin of victory is under one percentage point.
By Grace Sullivan ·
Voters in Kansas still do not have an official governor-elect after Tuesday's election. The state awaits finalized results for the top executive race and five other contests. Election offices across the state are conducting mandatory audits because several races finished with margins of less than one percentage point.
Wyandotte County began the review process on Friday. The county is auditing 10% of its precincts for the governor's race and other tight contests. The specific races under audit include secretary of state, attorney general, and House Districts 27, 40, and 117. In the gubernatorial race, Cindy Holscher and Ty Masterson are separated by less than one point.
Election workers are hand-counting select ballots from these districts over a two-day period. This manual count serves as a double-check against the totals produced by tabulation machines on election night. Michael Abbott, the Wyandotte County Election Commissioner, expects the hand count to match the machine results. He noted that in every previous audit, the numbers aligned, suggesting the current review may not change the final vote totals.
Abbott stated, 'Elections are working, the process is working, the machines are working. So it really is just a verification to make sure the tallies on election day are what they’re supposed to be.' Candidates typically wait until these audits are complete before deciding whether to request a full recount. The audit is open to the public and pairs workers from different political parties.
Jon Bohlander, a Masterson supporter, said he hopes the candidate maintains his narrow margin of victory. 'I hope he (Masterson) does pull out the narrow margin of victory on this,' Bohlander said. Holly Sharp, who voted for Holscher, expressed confidence in the outcome even if a recount occurs. 'That's democracy for ya. I'm hopeful even if he has a recount, the Democrats prevail,' Sharp said.
Bettye Maddox observed the audit in progress on Friday. She said the public visibility of the process helps build trust in the system. 'Everything is in order, people are working real good, I don't see any infractions. People can't say it wasn't done right,' Maddox said. The two-day process will continue as officials complete the verification of the contested ballots.
