Single-digit margins trigger recounts in suburban Twin Cities council races

Minneapolis Council President Andrea Jenkins' 38-vote victory in Ward 8 wasn't the only barnburner to come out of last week's municipal elections in Minnesota.

What's happening: Single-digit margins in two suburban council races have sparked recount requests.

Zoom in: Minnetonka will begin reviewing ballots Friday in the Ward 3 race, where Paula Ramaley edged out David Haeg by four votes — a margin of less than 0.5%.

• In Hopkins, just one vote separates two rivals for an open council seat. The city is scheduled to start its recount on Monday.

The intrigue: If the Hopkins recount results in a tie, the winner will be decided by a coin flip, per KSTP.

Plus: Golden Valley's contested mayoral race was decided by 26 votes, while the contest in the St. Louis County town of Aurora came down to three votes.

The bottom line: The adage "every vote counts" is especially true in low turnout local races.