A recount has been requested in the Republican primary for the Ward 7 Hopkinsville City Council race after potential irregularities were discovered.
Mark Graham, through his attorney Ben Fletcher, filed a petition for the recount Friday afternoon in Christian County Circuit Court. The county board of election and Graham’s opponent, Doug Wilcox, are named as respondents in the action. Election returns had Wilcox with 185 votes and Graham with 184.
Graham maintains in the recount request that some Ward 8 voters were given a Ward 7 ballot and improperly voted in the race. The News Edge was the first to report Wednesday morning that some issues had arisen in Tuesday’s primary election. County Clerk Mike Kem said 109 voters from Ward 8 cast ballots in the Ward 7 race.
Kem said the issues resulted from an error with the Tennex software program that is used to log in voters and determine what ballot they receive at the voting centers. He added the mistake was not made by the poll workers.
Following a board of elections meeting Wednesday night, Kem reached out to the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office to determine the best way to deal with the ballot problem. No timetable was given on when a response was expected.
Kentucky law says candidates can request a recount within 10 days after the election.
The petition is asking Christian County Circuit Court to determine the best way to remedy the situation and said the integrity of the ballots cast must be determined through the recount.
Under Kentucky law, Graham had to execute a bond before the recount and must pay for all costs associated with the recount. Unlike some states, Kentucky does not require an automatic recount for elections decided by slim margins.
A judge will set a date for the recount if Graham’s petition is granted.
It’s the second time in four years that a recount has been requested to confirm the election count in a Christian County race. Jack Lackey requested a recount in the District 6 magistrate’s race after losing to Phillip Peterson by two votes in the general election. The recount confirmed the margin and results and gave Peterson the win.
