This article first appeared in The Beacon: August 19, 2008 - On Tuesday afternoon -- two weeks after the Aug. 5 primary election -- Missouri's counties turned in their final results for the Democratic race for attorney general to the secretary of state's office for certification. The numbers will be released on Tues., Aug. 26 on the secretary of state's website.
That's when a recount, which Rep. Margaret Donnelly wants, would begin.
Donnelly lost to state Sen. Chris Koster of Harrisonville by a margin of 0.2 percent. Under Missouri law, any candidate losing by a margin of 1 percent or less is entitled to request a recount. On Friday, Donnelly announced that she would request a recount, despite a low probability of the vote's reversal.
During the two weeks between the election and the certification, election boards counted provisional ballots. (Provisional ballots are cast when questions surround the eligibility of a voter.) Dick Bauer, the assistant director of the St. Louis County Election Board, said that the results in St. Louis County, which is Donnelly's base, did not change.
People in Donnelly's camp had speculated that the numbers might change in St. Louis County where results were delayed until the next day.
Meanwhile, Koster has been preparing for a race against Republican Michael Gibbons in the general election this November. On Tuesday, he spoke at the University City library to a room filled with law-enforcement officials and community members about his candidacy.
Not one of his supporters mentioned the recount, and it doesn't seem to have influenced Koster's campaigning. Koster has not yet announced the legal representation he will hire for the recount. "I've consulted with a few people, but nobody believes the recount will change anything," Koster said in an interview after his speech.
From this point, Donnelly's recount will be handled by courts, and Lathrop & Gage L.C. will represent Donnelly. Richard Rhyne of Kansas City, who served as chair of the Donnelly for Attorney General Greater Kansas City-Area Steering Committee, will spearhead the effort.
Despite the low odds, Rhyne noted that if Donnelly gains one vote in 25 percent of all counties, the vote would swing to her favor.
Officials estimate that the recount will take up to two weeks because of the OptiScan ballots some voters used. Groups of two election board officials will sort through ambiguous ballots to interpret voter intent.
Historically, recounts do not reverse the outcome of elections. When they do, usually the margin is under 300 votes.(In this case, almost 800 votes separated Koster from Donnelly.) Sometimes, the winner's margin expands after a recount.
At Tuesday's event at the University City library, Koster stressed his law-enforcement credentials. "I mean it from my heart that I consider myself part of the law enforcement community," said Koster, portraying himself as the "hands-on" candidate who has prosecuted many cases in his different legal roles. "Only one candidate has interrogated. ... Only one candidate has been out there."
St. Louis County Councilwoman Hazel Erby expressed her admiration for Koster. "I care about the issues, but I also care about what's inside." She said that she had the chance to "hang out with him" and once saw him hand his cell phone number to a city youth. She said that after Koster won the vote, he left her a long voice message, and ended by saying, "I love you." Erby said, "Only my husband says I love you!"
President of the St. Louis Fraternal Order of Police Kevin Ahlbrand and St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch also spoke.
Joy Resmovits is an intern at the Beacon.