ROANOKE, Va. ( WFXR ) – The City of Roanoke began its recount Thursday morning for the tightly contested mayor’s race between Democrat Joe Cobb and Republican David Bowers.
Cobb won the election by just 59 votes, a margin of just 0.15% after more than 40,000 cast a vote in the race.
“They diligently followed secure procedures and verified and counted all ballots in certifying the election results,” said Cobb of the original results. “I stand by this outcome.”
But shortly after Cobb was declared the winner, Bowers requested a recount, citing perceived irregularities and inconsistencies in the vote-counting process.
David Bowers petitions for a recount in Roanoke City Mayor’s Race
“I think people in Roanoke wanted a recount and I felt it was my obligation to ask for one,” said Bowers.
The Bowers campaign is off the hook financially because the final margin fell within the 0.5% threshold to trigger a city-funded recount.
The counting began at around 8:30 a.m. Thursday with hopes that it could be completed by around 5:00 p.m.