State Rep. Mark Hargorve, R-Covington, and Kent Democratic challenger Bud Sizemore are in a tightly contested race for the State House District 47 Position 1 seat.
Hargrove’s lead dropped just slightly to 343 votes after Monday’s tally by King County Elections. Hargrove led by 363 votes through Saturday.
Hargrove has 50.31 percent (24,968 votes) while Sizemore, a Kent firefighter and former Covington City Councilmember, has 49.62 percent (24,625).
With ballots still to count, election officials won’t look at any potential recounts until the middle of this week, said Kim von Ekstrom, King County Elections spokeswoman. She said recounts kick in if the following applies:
Any office must be recounted by machine when the difference between two candidates is:
- Less than 2,000 votes difference AND
- Less than ½ of one percent
Statewide offices must be recounted by hand when the difference between two candidates:
- Less than 1,000 votes AND
- Less than ¼ of one percent
For more information about recounts, go to the King County Elections website.
King County Elections will update results each weekday afternoon until the election is certified Nov. 27.
In King County races, John Urquhart defeated Steve Strachan for King County Sheriff and voters approved King County Proposition 1 for a property tax levy to fund an automated fingerprint identification system.
In other Kent-area legislative races for the House, Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines and Dave Upthegrove, D-Des Moines, are each being reelected in District 33 while Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, is on his way to another win in District 47, Position 2.
Urquhart, who worked 24 years for the Sheriff’s Office and served as the media spokesman for many years before retiring earlier this year, has 57.35 percent (254,600 votes) to Strachan’s 42.23 percent (187,491).
Strachan is the interim sheriff and a former Kent Police chief. He was appointed sheriff earlier this year after Sue Rahr resigned to become the director of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission in Burien.
King County voters are approving the new levy for the fingerprinting identification system by 59.29 percent (302,147 votes) to 40.7 percent (207,446 votes).
Orwall is defeating Burien Republican Will Benge with 71.23 percent (19,694 votes) to Benge’s 28.64 percent (7,920). Upthegrove is beating Martin Metz, a Republican from Des Moines, 69.62 percent (19,219) to 30.26 percent (8,355).
Sullivan is defeating Kent Republican Andy Massagli 59.41 percent (19,080 votes) to 40.51 percent (13,010).
For updated results, go to www.kingcounty.gov/elections and statewide use www.sos.wa.gov/elections.
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