A three-vote margin is proving too narrow to ignore in the November contest for the Rancho Cordova City Council.
Sacramento County elections officials on Wednesday confirmed that candidate Brian M. Danzl, who placed fourth in a race for three City Council seats last month, submitted paperwork to set in motion a recount.
The deadline for requesting a recount was 5 p.m. Wednesday. The winning candidates – returning Councilmen David Sander and Robert McGarvey along with third-place winner Donald Terry – were sworn into office on Monday.
Danzl received 7,780 votes in the Nov. 6 race. Terry edged him out, collecting 7,783 votes.
The letter formally requesting the recount was signed by a Rancho Cordova voter, Shannon Buck. Neither Buck nor Danzl could be reached for comment.
It was not immediately clear how much the recount would cost or who would pay.
Tab Berg, consultant to Danzl, said the narrow vote gap prompted the request.
"I think the responsible thing to do is to make sure and double-check everything and to make sure the voters' voice was actually heard," Berg said.
A full-scale recount could cost tens of thousands of dollars, said Brad Buyse, a spokesman for the elections office.
But candidates are able to start with a scaled-down tally.
A recount, for example, might involve just one or more precincts to explore results to determine if a full recount is desired.
Only a full-scale recount can change the outcome of a contest. That involves recounting "every vote in every precinct in which the contest appeared," Buyse said.
The initial work in this recount will involve a manual tally, Buyse said. That could begin early next week and will be open to public viewing.
Danzl consultant Berg said the question of cost will be addressed in the coming days.
"We want to review some material," he said. "We'll meet with them (the county) in the next seven days to come up with that cost schedule."
Newly sworn Councilman Terry, whose seat is at issue, was unfazed by the recount request.
"Whatever comes of a recount, I'm confident we won this," Terry said. "It was a close race. I have no problem with somebody making sure I was the elected council member.
"In the meantime, I have a job to do."
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