Kansas counties hand-count ballots in uncalled governor race
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Seven days after the election, Kansas still doesn't know who its next governor will be, but counties could finish counting ballots as soon as next week.
Why it matters: Democrat Cindy Holscher leads Republican Ty Masterson by about 7,600 votes in a race that determines whether Democrats keep the governor's office or Republicans control both branches.
Zoom in: Election workers in all 105 counties must hand-count ballots from randomly picked precincts to double-check the results. Nearly 200 Johnson County poll workers started counting paper ballots Monday.
- Johnson County started a day early because of "the number of ballots to be counted," Election Commissioner Connie Schmidt said. Five of the six races being audited statewide are on its ballots.
- Schmidt expects the county to finish by Tuesday. Wyandotte County started its two-day audit Friday.
Holscher declared victory the morning after the election, and Gov. Laura Kelly has already called her "governor-elect."
- Holscher thanked Masterson for "running a hard-fought campaign" and said she looked forward "to working closely with Governor Laura Kelly to ensure a smooth transition."
The other side: Masterson hasn't conceded, and he said in a statement last week that "the first count does not seem to be going our way, but the margin is narrow enough that Kansas law calls for another look, and we'll let that process finish."
- Masterson's campaign didn't respond to Axios' request for comment.
How it works: Kansas law requires every county to hand-count an extra 10% of its precincts when a statewide race finishes within 1 percentage point, according to the county election office.
State of play: The Associated Press hasn't called the race, and it won't until the trailing candidate has no realistic path to victory.
- Around 28,000 provisional ballots, which voters cast when their eligibility is in question, are still out statewide, the secretary of state's office tells Axios.
Reality check: Masterson could still ask for a recount, but the state only covers recount costs in general elections when the margin is within 0.5 percentage points, and Holscher's lead has been past that line since the day after the election.
- That means he'd have to post a bond to cover the cost and file the request by 5pm the day after the last county finishes its official count.
What's next: Counties have to finish their audits and official counts by Nov. 16. Then the State Board of Canvassers, which includes Kelly, will meet Dec. 1 to certify the final results, according to the secretary of state's office.