OLYMPIA — Three legislative races in Washington are heading to a hand recount after election results are certified next week.
For the open Senate seat in the 26th District, Democrat Emily Randall is leading by 99 votes as of Friday over Republican Marty McClendon. The two are vying to replace Republican Sen. Jan Angel, who is retiring. In the 42nd District, Republican Sen. Doug Ericksen led Democratic challenger Pinky Vargas by just 45 votes. And Ericksen’s seatmate in the House, Republican Rep. Luanne Van Werven, led Democrat Justin Boneau by 80 votes.
Counties will certify election results Tuesday. But for those three races, a recount will follow.
State law requires a machine recount when the difference between the top two candidates is less than 2,000 votes and also less than 0.50 percent of the total number of votes cast for both candidates. A manual recount is required when the difference is less than 150 votes and also less than 0.25 percent of the total votes cast in the race.