Recount to begin Tuesday in Smith County commissioner race separated by 101 votes
GOP chair prepared for process to take 3 days
TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - A hand recount will begin Tuesday morning in the race for Smith County Pct. 1 Commissioner. Incumbent Pam Frederick requested the recount after losing in the Republican Primary to challenger Christina Drewry by 101 votes.
| Smith County Pct. 1 Commissioner - Republican Primary | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Christina Drewry | 4,636 | 50.55% |
| Pam Frederick (Incumbent) | 4,535 | 49.45% |
“It’ll be worth it just to make sure. I don’t want to always wonder if that’s the truth about the election results,” Frederick said.
Texas Election Code allows candidates to request a recount if the difference between them and the elected candidate is less than 10 percent. The recount will be the first of its kind for the Smith County Republican Party, according to Smith County GOP Chair David Stein.
“This was right at one percent,” Stein said. " So, this was a very, very small margin. 101 votes out of 9,000 plus.”
Starting at 9 a.m., three teams of four people will begin hand-counting every ballot cast in the pct. 1 commissioner race. Stein is preparing for the process to take three days, with recount workers putting in six to eight hours a day.
“It’s the first time it’s been done,” Stein said. “There are going to be issues we’re going to have to deal with. We don’t know what we don’t know at this point. There is no precedent. It’s not a perfect process, but we want to make sure that we’re going to get it right.”
The recount must be paid for by the candidate who requested it. If Frederick ends up winning, she will be eligible for a refund at the expense of the Smith County GOP. The exact cost of the recount remains to be seen, but Frederick said counters will be paid $12 an hour.
During the recount, Frederick has the option of calling it early and saving money if she sees no dramatic change in the results.
“Only about 23% of voters came, and when you compare the numbers in the end, about 100 votes made the decision,” Frederick said. “I got a phone call from my brother in another county and he said, ‘you owe it to your supporters just to make sure.’”
Drewry, who won the election with 50.55 percent of the total vote, said she believes the recount is a good thing.
“Election integrity was one of the pieces of the platform that we got to talk to the voters about it. So, this gives us an opportunity to really conduct that and get a definitive answer, because every vote should count,” Drewry said.
Those allowed to be present at the recount include the recount chair and recount members, candidates and up to two watchers per recount team, the custodian of the voted ballots, the recount supervisor, and state or federal inspectors. No recording devices will be allowed in the room or within 30 feet of the entrance.
The recount is set to begin Tuesday, March 26, at 9 a.m. inside the Cotton Belt Building in Tyler.
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