The race for Washington state commissioner of public lands narrowed by a single vote in Lewis County following a recount of the 24,798 ballots cast in the August primary.
Following a manual recount, King County Councilmember and Democratic candidate Dave Upthegrove lost one vote while Democratic state Sen. Kevin Van De Wege gained one vote.
Following the completion of the recount, the Lewis County Auditor’s Office announced Tuesday that one vote during the August primary had been incorrectly adjudicated.
According to the auditor’s office, the ballot had a corrected vote for Van De Wege and a cross-out of Upthegrove. Upon reexamination, the canvassing board determined a voter intended to vote for Van De Wege, though their ballot was tabulated for Upthegrove.
The other candidates in the race did not see their vote total change during the manual recount.
As the recount got underway inside the small office at the Lewis County Courthouse on Aug. 26, representatives from the Upthegrove and Republican Sue Kuehl Pederson campaigns attended to ensure that election officials followed protocol.