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ACHD close race recount begins

Rebecca Arnold and Alexis Pickering
Posted at 5:03 PM, Nov 30, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-30 19:03:49-05

ADA COUNTY — The Ada County Highway District Zone 2 race, separated by only two votes, started the recount process this morning at 9:00 a.m.

Rebecca Arnold, the ACHD commission chair veteran, requested the recount in the November 2020 General Election race between herself and newcomer Alexis Pickering.

The race outcome had a difference of two votes within the threshold of less than point one percent (0.1%) for a free recount under Idaho statute.
"Slow and steady wins the race" is how Ada county clerk Phil McGrane describes the recount.

Arnold came up shy in the first tally with 15,733 votes to Pickering with 17,735 votes.

Both candidates are watching the recount process or have representatives there for them.

"We're being very methodical and taking our time to make sure we both; inform the candidates as to what we are doing and walking everyone through the process, answering questions and just making sure we cross all of the T's and dot all of the I's," McGrane said.

About 1700 ballots will be hand-counted, then machine counted to make sure the numbers match. Then, more ballots will be counted.
The process is not short, according to McGrane. It will take about a week before the results are known.

"The absentee and early votes which there were so many of this year, they are all intermingled together. So, we can't easily pull out ACHD district 2. So, we're just going to go ahead and scan all of those ballots to make sure every single vote is counted in the recount," McGrane said.

Pickering previously told Idaho News 6 she would ask for a recount if the tables were turned - she has been following the process and posting updates to her Facebook page.

We reached out to Arnold, who could not provide an update because of being involved with the recount all day.

"Recounts always open the eyes to the candidates and people involved just with how much work goes on behind the scenes to make sure every vote counts and that we do it accurately, and so hopefully this week will prove that out as well," McGrane said.

The Ada County Elections Office is live streaming the counting process inside their warehouse; click here to watch.