The most recent ballot count shows Republican Clark County Councilor Eileen Quiring increasing her lead over Democrat Eric Holt in the race for county council chair.
The most recent count, released Thursday evening, shows Quiring with 86,983 votes, more than a thousand votes more than Holt.
“I’m disappointed but we might see a miracle tomorrow,” Holt said in a text. “We still intend to push for a recount and chase ballots.”
Speaking before the release of the results, Holt said that his campaign would be requesting from the Clark County Elections Office a list of voters with unresolved signature issues with their ballots. He said his campaign will reach out to these voters to see if they can’t resolve their problems.
“I’m hoping it’s a lot of Democrats,” he said.
According to Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey, as of Saturday, 1,284 ballots had been challenged due to problems such as missing signatures. He said he expects the number to increase as the elections office continues working through the ballots. The Clark County Elections Office website states there are an estimated 16,000 ballots left to count.
In another close race, state Rep. Vicki Kraft, R-Vancouver, expanded her lead over Democratic challenger Tanisha Harris to nearly a thousand votes.
After the ballot count was released, Harris posted a statement to her Facebook page conceding the race and wishing Kraft “all the best in Olympia.”
“To the voters of my beloved 17th (Legislative District) I respectfully asked for your votes and to be your representative,” wrote Harris. “I thank you for your kindness, the hundreds of conversations and allowing me to listen to your concerns and hopes.”
Republican Larry Hoff secured a convincing lead over Democrat Kathy Gillespie in the race to succeed retiring state Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas. The most recent count showed Hoff with 52.78 percent of the vote and nearly 3,700 votes over Gillespie.
