Updated results posted on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website late last night show Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks leading Democrat Rita Hart by just 35 votes in Iowa’s still-undecided second congressional district race.
More than 394,000 votes were cast in the contest. Hart asked for a recount in all 24 counties in the second congressional district. Most counties have finished the process, but the final tally in the district’s largest county will not be certified today as originally planned.
The Quad City Times cites a Scott County Supervisor as saying it appears there’s an error in the count of absentee ballots, suggesting the overall tally for Scott County could be off by more than 12 dozen votes. An attorney for the Miller-Meeks campaign issued a statement, saying the delay for a recheck of the recount is appropriate, to ensure results are properly verified.
Monday, November 30 is the day Iowa’s secretary of state is to certify statewide election results. However, this contest could continue after that if one or both campaigns ask a judge to review the recount process and rule on which ballots may be included in the final results.