Provisional ballots were counted Tuesday afternoon in Cascade County for the 2018 midterm election.
The two candidates for House District 22 in Great Falls kept an especially close eye on the counting.
Last week, just five votes separated incumbent Republican Lola Sheldon-Galloway and Democrat Laura Dever.
After provisional ballots were counted, 14 votes now separate the two candidates with Sheldon-Galloway garnering 1,882 and Dever with 1,868.
A difference of .25 percent qualifies for an automatic recount.
The race is now out of that range, but a recount can still be requested.
(November 9, 2018) The 2018 election is over – but not for all of the candidates.
The House District 22 race between Republican Lola Sheldon-Galloway and Democrat Laura Dever has not yet been decided.
The current numbers have Sheldon-Galloway in the lead with 1,869 votes, and Dever only five votes behind her at 1,864.
Cascade County Clerk & Recorder Rina Moore says they still have to count 13 provisional ballots by Tuesday.
“I do not think it will take us out of the recount. The magic number is 18. There is 13 provisional and I am at five so that adds up to 18, so I have been told it will go to a recount. When you think about it, the nerves kick in,” Sheldon-Galloway said.
Montana Democratic Party Roy Loewenstein says the House District 22 race is far from being over.
The provisional ballots will be counted on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
A candidate can request an automatic recount if they are behind by less than .25 percent. If the margin is between .25 percent and .5 percent, a trailing candidate can request a recount but would be required to pay for it, according to the state.
