Orange County commissioner asks for recount after final ballot count flips result
Update: Orange County Commissioner Mark Dorosin won the March 19, 2020, recount at the Orange County Board of Elections Office. Dorosin had 12,503 votes in the final count. Commissioners Chair Penny Rich had 12,496 votes. Jean Hamilton, the top vote-getter in the District 1 race, had 15,149 votes.
Orange County Commissioner Penny Rich has asked for a recount after a final count of ballots pushed fellow incumbent Mark Dorosin ahead of her in a closely contested race for a seat on the county board.
Dorosin finished with 12,503 votes to 12,494 votes for Rich, his closest opponent for the second District 1 seat, according to official election results released Friday.
The nine-vote difference was the same margin by which Rich led after the primary.
In the remaining ballots counted last week, Dorosin got the biggest boost from absentee voters, while Rich earned slightly more from the provisional ballots.
Rich, who was present for the final count, submitted a letter to the Board of Elections on Friday asking for a recount. State elections law allows for a recount if fewer than 1% of the total votes separate two candidates.
The elections office will hold a recount Thursday morning, March 19.
Newcomer Jean Hamilton secured the top spot in the District 1 primary with 15,149 votes to take the district’s first seat. District 2 Commissioner Renee Price, who represents the northern part of the county, was unopposed for her third term.
With no Republicans running for commissioner in the general election, the top vote getters in the Democratic primary are the presumptive winners in November.
Dorosin said Wednesday night that he was “surprised and elated to hear” the results. He noted that it would be reasonable for Rich to request a recount, and if the roles were reversed, he might consider it.
“Of course, I hate it for Penny,” Dorosin said. “I think we work really well together, and I think she’s been a really invaluable part of the board. She’s a thoughtful chair that has helped lead the board through some tough things. Assuming that the count holds, it will be a real loss for the county.”
This year’s election was in large part about education dollars and how much the commissioners should be spending to fix aging schools, some of which are in serious need of repair. Both Hamilton and Amy Fowler, who was elected in the at-large commissioners race, have served on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board.
Fowler won her at-large primary race with a clear margin over incumbent Commissioner Mark Marcoplos. The final, official count was 30,692 votes for Fowler to 8,886 votes for Marcoplos, who is serving his first term on the board..
The school board will appoint a new member to finish Fowler’s term, which runs through 2021. Hamilton is a former board member.
This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 8:09 PM with the headline "Orange County commissioner asks for recount after final ballot count flips result."
