Six Kansas races trigger mandatory hand counts after tight results
Secretary of State Scott Schwab confirmed audits for the governor's contest and five other positions with margins of 1% or less.
By Lucas Navarro ·
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab announced on Wednesday that close-race audits are now required for six contests following the general election. State law mandates these reviews whenever unofficial election night results show a margin of 1% or less of the total votes cast.
The most high-profile contest is the race for governor. With 98% of the vote counted, Democrat Cindy Holscher holds a lead over Republican Ty Masterson by fewer than 6,000 votes. This represents a 0.6% margin. Although Holscher has declared victory, officials have not yet called the race.
The other five audits cover the secretary of state, attorney general, and three state House districts. In the secretary of state race, Republican Pat Proctor leads Democrat Jennifer Day by less than 11,000 votes. For attorney general, Democrat Chris Mann leads Republican incumbent Kris Kobach by more than 11,000 votes. Mann has also declared a win, but the result is not official.
Three state House races are included in the audit process. In District 27, Democrat Sara Kiewiet leads Republican incumbent Sean E. Tarwater by 43 votes. In District 40, Republican incumbent David Buehler holds a 67-vote lead over Democrat Mika Stilwell. In District 117, Democrat Brandon Holland leads Republican incumbent Adam Turk by 133 votes.
County election officials must now conduct a hand count of ballots in 10% of precincts for each of these qualifying races. The rule requires a minimum of one precinct to be audited in every county. Schwab said the process is automatic based on the preliminary numbers.
