GREAT FALLS – The 2018 election is over – but not for all of the candidates.
The House District 22 race between Republican Lola Sheldon-Galloway and Democrat Laura Dever has not yet been decided.
The current numbers have Sheldon-Galloway in the lead with 1,869 votes, and Dever only five votes behind her at 1,864.
Cascade County Clerk & Recorder Rina Moore says they still have to count 13 provisional ballots by Tuesday.
“I do not think it will take us out of the recount. The magic number is 18. There is 13 provisional and I am at five so that adds up to 18, so I have been told it will go to a recount. When you think about it, the nerves kick in,” Sheldon-Galloway said.
Montana Democratic Party Roy Loewenstein says the House District 22 race is far from being over.
The provisional ballots will be counted on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
A candidate can request an automatic recount if they are behind by less than .25 percent. If the margin is between .25 percent and .5 percent, a trailing candidate can request a recount but would be required to pay for it, according to the state.
Other races that are still too close call include:
The new state district judge in Yellowstone County will either be Juli Pierce or Ashley Harada. Pierce held a thin 59-vote lead as of Wednesday over Harada for Department 8 of the 13th District Court. Pierce had 28,812 votes, while Harada had 28,753.
According to Musselshell County Clerk & Recorder Cheryl Tomassi, there are only 10 votes separating two candidates in the race for sheriff. Shawn Lesnik, who is the current undersheriff and running as a Republican, gained 1,137 votes in the election. Write-in candidate Ronnie Burns has 1,127 votes.
There are only nine votes separating the race for the County Attorney in Musselshell County. Kevin Peterson, who ran as a Republican, has 1,166 of votes while his challenger. Independent Robert Spoja has 1,157 of votes.
Reporting by Margaret DeMarco for MTN News
