After a recanvass of the Hopkinsville City Council Ward 8 race between Republican Stephen Crisp and Democrat Tiffany Pittman, the outcome in Crisp’s favor did not change.
According to unofficial results released on the night of the Nov. 3 general election, the race was decided by just 27 votes — 3,690 for Crisp and 3,663 for Pittman.
Pittman subsequently requested a recanvass, which the Christian County Board of Elections conducted Thursday morning at the courthouse.
State law (KRS 117.305) allows a candidate to request a recanvass if the difference between two candidates is less than 1% of total votes cast in that race.
Pittman sat with election board members and reviewed the printed vote tally tabs from every voting machine used in election. The process took less than 30 minutes. At the conclusion, Christian County Clerk Melinda Humphries said there were no discrepancies.
If Pittman decides to pursue additional options allowed under Kentucky election law, she may request a recount in her race. This would involve checking each of the paper ballots cast in her race, a process that takes place in circuit court.
“The concern that we have is that it’s expensive,” Pittman told Hoptown Chronicle in a brief phone interview Thursday afternoon.
The candidate requesting a recount is responsible for the fees associated with the process — but Pittman said she has not been able to determine what that cost would be.
“It is unknown,” she said.
Pittman said she has requested information about the cost from the offices of Christian Circuit Judge John Atkins and the county clerk, but had not received any confirmation as of Thursday afternoon.
Friday is the deadline to request a recount, she said.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
