Randall wins in 26th Senate race recount

PORT ORCHARD — A manual recount of votes Thursday in the 26th Legislative District Senate race confirmed Democrat Emily Randall to be the winner.

Randall, a political newcomer from Bremerton, prevailed against Marty McClendon, a Gig Harbor Republican, by 102 votes or 0.14 percent, maintaining the lead she’s held since the election was certified Nov. 27.

A manual recount is required in local and legislative races when the difference is fewer than 150 votes and less than 0.25 percent of total votes cast in the race. The 26th Senate race was one of three in the state that qualified for a mandatory recount.

The 26th District straddles Pierce and Kitsap counties. Elections officials in both counties oversaw a hand count of more than 70,000 ballots total.

"I am so, so proud of the work that my team put in and honored that our community put this trust in me," said Randall, who was in Olympia Friday for orientation.

Randall will replace retiring Sen. Jan Angel, R-Port Orchard, who has held the seat since 2013. The high-profile race drew about $3 million in campaign spending, counting money raised by the campaigns and independent expenditures for and against the candidates. More than $1 million was spent against Randall.

"My first reaction is, wow, every vote counts," McClendon said Friday. "And of course I want to congratulate my opponent for the win. Obviously, I'm not done. I'll be back."

The race was McClendon's fourth bid for public office. He ran but did not win in 2010 for the 26th District Senate seat, in 2014 for 6th Congressional District representative and in 2016 for lieutenant governor.

More:Visual votes: Maps break down Kitsap's midterm election results

McClendon, who prevailed in Pierce County but not the overall vote, thanked those who voted for him.

"For me, it's always been about putting it in God's hands," McClendon said. "I did my best. I'm still not done. I still want to serve my community and I'll serve in whatever capacity I can."

Recount turns up two-vote difference

The race for the 26th District Senate seat has see-sawed back and forth since election night Nov. 6, when Randall with 50.7 percent of votes held a slim lead over McClendon.

As additional ballots were processed, McClendon pulled ahead on Nov. 9 with a 222-vote lead, which narrowed to 74 votes by Nov. 13. The following day, Randall edged ahead by 12 votes, increasing her lead to 88 votes on Nov. 15.

On Nov. 29, after both counties certified results of the general election, Randall led McClendon by 104 votes or 0.14 percent with more than 70,000 ballots cast in the race.

Results of the Pierce County hand recount matched the certified machine tally exactly. McClendon won in Pierce County with 18,621 votes or 50.81 percent of 36,651 valid ballots cast, including 55 write-ins.

Processed in the Pierce recount but not counted toward either candidate were 846 ballots left blank for the 26th District race, called “undervotes,” and three ballots where both candidates were marked, called “overvotes.”

In Kitsap County, Randall had 17,113 votes, or 51.01 percent, of valid ballots cast, including 56 write-ins. Kitsap’s recount accounted for the two-vote difference from the 104-vote lead Randall had when the election was certified to her 102-vote lead affirmed by the recount.

Kitsap had two “overvotes” and 1,191 “undervotes.”

A “validation” of elections accuracy

The manual recount was a painstaking process for both elections offices. Earlier in the week, elections workers culled ballots cast in the 26th District Senate race from 331,355 total ballots counted in Pierce County and 122,284 ballots cast in Kitsap. Ballots were next separated into precincts.

On Thursday, recount day, the Kitsap County Auditor's Office was humming with activity as elections workers in teams of two manually reviewed ballots at least twice, and in the case of a discrepancy, up to four times.

Representatives of both candidates and both parties observed, along with some members of the public.

"I'm really interested in the election process, especially in a race that's this close," said Elaina Gonzales-Blanton, who was taking a shift on behalf of the Kitsap County Republican Party. "It shows every vote counts."

Gonzales-Blanton of Silverdale doesn’t live in the 26th District and so didn’t vote in the race. Observing the recount fortified her faith in the state's election's process, she said. "I hope whoever rightfully deserves to win wins."

Kitsap County Auditor Dolores Gilmore has participated in 40 recounts during her career with the auditor's office, which began in 1984.

"For me personally, every manual recount is a validation of the accuracy of the election process in this county," Gilmore said.

"The biggest takeaway from the whole process for the public is confidence in the elections process and confirmation of the accuracy of the outcome," said Pierce County Elections Supervisor Damon Townsend.  "We take every vote seriously, make every effort to ensure accuracy of counting and have a robust chain of custody procedures to account for each ballot we receive."