UPDATE 1:45 p.m.
Challenger Kendon Underwood has asked for a recount by hand. Election officials plan on conducting that recount on Tuesday.
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ROGERS — A recount in two tight state House races in Benton County left the winners — and incumbents — in place while adding one vote to the slimmest margin.
Reps. Jana Della Rosa, R-Rogers, and Dan Douglas, R-Bentonville, won their GOP primary bids. Challengers Kendon Underwood and Scott Richardson, who lost by four and by 12 votes respectively, have until 4:30 today to demand another recount, Benton County Election Commission officials said.
Today’s recount was ordered by the election commission because of the close margins in the two races. The recount results were the same, but reflected the addition of a provisional ballot cast for Della Rosa that was not counted before.
Della Rosa is the two-term incumbent in House District 90. Douglas is the three-term incumbent in District 91. Della Rosa faces Democrat Kati McFarland in the Nov. 6 election. Douglas has no opposition.
The provisional ballot in Della Rosa’s race was held over a lack of required photo ID, a new requirement this election year, election officials said.
Final, though unofficial, results show 1,069 votes for Della Rosa and 1,065 for Underwood. Douglas’ had 946 votes to Richardson’s 934.
If either challenger requests another recount, he will have to pay for it under state law. His money would be refunded if the recount changes the outcome of the race. A recount would cost 25 cents per ballot cast in his race. There is a cap of $2,500 on how much a candidate can be charged but the expense of neither the District 90 nor District 91 race would approach that amount.
Both Della Rosa and Douglas cited the county’s light turnout of 12 percent in Tuesday’s primaries as a factor in the closeness of their races. Statewide voter turnout was more than 18 percent, according to figures from the Arkansas Secretary of State Office.
