Candidates in the spring primary election will have until 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, to submit requests for a recount, according to Wyandotte County Election Commissioner Bruce Newby.
The requests for a recount are not permitted until after the meeting of the county Board of Canvassers at 9 a.m. Monday, March 9, and the posting of the final official election results, Newby stated.
On Wednesday, former Unified Government commissioner Nathan Barnes was asked if he was going to ask for a recount, and he replied that he would wait until Monday and see what the final count is before making a decision. On election night, Barnes was 10 votes short of second place for the UG Commissioner, at large, 1st District position. Mark Gilstrap trailed Melissa Bynum, the first-place candidate, by 23 votes.
There often are uncounted provisional ballots that will be considered by the Board of Canvassers, which meets Monday.
Newby stated that a candidate who wants to request a recount must submit the request to the county election officer in writing, accompanied by a bond in the amount of the expected direct costs for the recount. The cost will vary depending on the number of ballots to be recounted, the number of precincts involved in the race and the time it will take to complete the recount in one to three days.
“With the general election on April 7th, the maximum time allotted to a recount of any race in the primary must be one day,” Newby stated.