No recount in labor race

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:22:46 -0400

There will not be a recount in the labor race.

The State Board of Elections has refused to grant a ballot recount to the third- and fourth-place finishers in this month's Democratic primary for labor commissioner.

The board was split 2-2 Thursday on the requests brought by Ty Richardson and Robin Anderson. A tie means the request failed. A fifth board member couldn't participate, the Associated Press reports.

The board’s decision means a runoff between leading vote-getter Mary Fant Donnan and second-place finisher John Brooks will go as scheduled June 24.

State law allows the board to order a mandatory recount or a discretionary recount. State elections director Gary Bartlett said the board determined that neither one applied in this case.

Richardson was less than 2,000 votes behind Brooks. Anderson was about 5,000 votes behind.

Brooks said he had been expecting the board to approve a recount.

"I guess I'm surprised that there's not going to be one," he said.

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No recount in labor race