Preston Commission candidate requests a recount of votes

KINGWOOD — Preston Commission candidate Lucas Tatham has requested a recount of votes in the May primary.
Tatham finished 35 votes behind Samantha Stone in the Republican primary. Also running were Republicans Karen Bright, Art Lipscomb, Tracy Polce and Anne Armstrong. (Although Armstrong withdrew from the race, it was too late to have her name removed from the ballot and got 103 votes.)
Preston County Clerk Linda Huggins said the first step in the recount is that the sheriff must notify all other candidates in the race within 48 hours. Those candidates have 24 hours from the time they are served to present a $300 bond to the county clerk, if they want a say in the recount.
If a candidate posts a bond, he or she can ask to stop the recount at any time and withdraw. If a bond is not posted, a candidate cannot stop the recount.
A candidate can request that only certain precincts be recounted. Tatham has requested a hand recount, rather than an electronic one, of all precincts.
If the recount results in a change in the outcome of the election, the candidate does not have to pay anything more. However, if there is no change in who wins, the candidate must pay the county’s expenses for the recount.
“We’re looking at $120 to $160 an hour,” Huggins said, “because of the teams you have to tally by.”
Because of the length of time the recount will require, county employees will not be used for the recount. Instead pollworkers are being sought to do the recount.
“This could last days,” County Administrator Kathy Mace said. “There could be interruptions because the county commission, a quorum must be present at all times.”
She did not anticipate the recount starting before next week. The intent is to do the recount at McGrew House, which is owned by the county and has rooms that can be secured, Mace said.
Huggins said 52nd District House of Delegates Republican candidate Justin Hough initially also requested a recount, but he has withdrawn his request. Hough lost to incumbent Terri Sypolt by 61 votes.