Three Volusia Races Officially Under Recount

DeLand, FL - A long day for the members of Volusia County's Canvassing Board ends the same way it began. Three races from Tuesday's midterm election are heading to a recount, with at least one of those a manual and the others a machine. After provisional ballots were sorted through during today's (November 8th) meeting, the updated official results shows a 59 vote difference (0.10%) between Republican Elizabeth Fetterhoff (left) and Democrat Patrick Henry for the Florida District 26 House seat.

BREAKING: Three #Volusia races are going to a recount starting tomorrow. That includes the Fetterhoff-Henry race (#Florida House District 26) and the County Council battle between Barb Girtman and Pat Patterson. Details coming to https://t.co/a66cVOTDVN. pic.twitter.com/5yoreZFLUX

- News Daytona Beach (@NewsDaytonaBch) November 9, 2018

That race falls under the 0.25% margin needed to do a manual recount, but Volusia County Elections Supervisor Lisa Lewis says a machine will have to be done first for that race regardless before the manual can begin. Unofficial results on Election Night had Fetterhoff leading Henry by 72 votes, meaning that the incumbent cut his overall deficit by 13 during the Canvassing Board meeting. In a machine recount, the ballots are run through the tabulation machine again. In a manual, each ballot is pulled by hand and counted by an elections worker. The others under recount are both District 1 races. They are between Barb Girtman and incumbent Pat Patterson (right) on the Volusia County Council and between Rocky Dorcy and Christine Power on the Edgewater City Council.

Also under official recount: the #Edgewater City Council race between Rocky Dorcy and Christine Power. #Volusia #ElectionResults2018 pic.twitter.com/JjXZdVpd3z

- News Daytona Beach (@NewsDaytonaBch) November 9, 2018

Dorcy cut into the incumbent Power's initial 30-vote lead by two votes, giving her a victory margin of 0.32%. Girtman tacked on another 15 votes to her lead, giving her 177 more votes than the incumbent Patterson and a victory margin of 0.44%. Any victory margin under 0.50% triggers an automatic recount under state law, with a manual required if it's under 0.25%. The local races will be done first since state approval is needed before the Fetterhoff-Henry race can be recounted. That will begin at 9 a.m. tomorrow (November 9th). Lewis hopes to have all three recounts done by tomorrow, assuming the state approval comes in by then. If not, it could stretch into Saturday.