Re-Count Underway for Commission Spot - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Re-Count Underway for Commission Spot

The re-counting of votes got underway today at the Ward County Courthouse for the final seat on the Ward County Commission.

Candidates Jim Lee and Shelly Weppler were separated by just 81 votes after the canvassing process wrapped up last week, and Lee requested a recount because the margin of victory for Weppler was less than two percent.

Lee has to pay for the process that was happening today.

The two candidates were on hand this morning looking over signatures and watching the process.

Lee had ground to make up -- 81 votes as we said -- but with thousands of votes cast, he said he wanted to continue the process.

Being counted first were the more than 6 thousand absentee ballots...election officials were working those through, while Lee and Weppler were eyeballing ballots that had been tossed out.

(Devra Smestad - Ward County Auditor) "We are also looking through the absentees that were denied by the Canvassing board because they were missing a signature or were postmarked late, what have you...so they will be reviewing those denied ballots as well."

The ballots were counted same as on election day -- by processing them through the ballot machines.

The entire process is expected to last a few days.