LEWISTON — Candidates and incumbents in several local State House races were bracing for recounts Wednesday as late vote tallies showed narrow victories for some.
Maine Senate District 17, which covers 10 towns in Androscoggin County, along with several House Districts in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties, remained unsettled.
District 17 incumbent Garrett Mason, R-Lisbon Falls, said early Wednesday the distance between himself and Democratic challenger Colleen Quint was “razor-thin.”
Quint was leading by 77 votes later Wednesday, and Mason said his campaign was “exploring its options.”
The race for House District 70, which covers parts of Lewiston and Auburn, showed Democratic challenger Wayne Werts, a former Auburn fire chief, trailing incumbent Rep. Bruce Bickford by four votes. Both are from Auburn.
The House District 94 race between incumbent Democrat Teresea Hayes of Buckfield and Republican challenger Timothy Turner of Buckfield, a retired Maine State trooper, showed Hayes leading by 35 votes.
Also within 100 votes was the House District 98 race between incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Timberlake of Turner and Democratic challenger Lawrence Sirois, also of Turner, with Timberlake leading by 85 votes.
A recount occurs under Maine law at the request of the losing candidate. If the margin of difference between the candidates is less than 2 percent of the total vote cast, a recount can occur without charge. For example, if 10,000 votes were cast, the difference between the two candidates would have to be 200 votes or fewer for a free recount.
A candidate can also request a recount for any margin greater than 2 percent by petitioning the Maine Secretary of State. They must pay a $500 deposit on a request for any margin between 2 and 4 percent and $1,000 deposit for any margin greater than 4 percent and up to 6 percent of the difference. The maximum deposit of $10,000 is for a recount of up to a 10 percent difference. Candidates have five business days to make the recount request.
A complete list of Maine election results can be found here.
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