WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — In the tightest Congressional race in the nation, the difference between the Democratic and Republican Congressional candidates in Iowa's second district is down to single-digits.
On Wednesday, the Scott County and Jasper County bipartisan recount boards met to go over the latest recount numbers. They needed to decide whether to accept them or reject them.
In Scott County, the recount board found Democrat Rita Hart gained 105 votes and Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks netted 79 votes. Rita got 26 more votes than Miller-Meeks.
A short time later in Jasper County, the recount board gathered in the county auditor's office to recount the absentee ballots on a new machine after the old one was found to be faulty.
It took about an hour for that machine recount to finish. After all of the votes were counted in Jasper County, Hart's totals did not change. Miller-Meeks lost one vote.
Both data reports will now go to their respective county supervisor boards, which will need to certify those results before the State Board of Canvass meets on Nov. 30 to certify all of 99 counties' votes.
Hart was the one who requested the county-wide recount. Because the vote margin is so small, her campaign will not have to pay for the time and effort by county auditors and their staff.
Clinton County is the final county that needs to have its recount board convene and accept the results. That will happen on Saturday, after the Thanksgiving holiday.
After the State Canvass Board meets on Monday, both candidates will have the opportunity to contest the results.