Recount ordered in House District 19; Results of HD16 and HD19 recounts due Dec. 6

By / / Top Stories, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice

The second of two recounts which will decide whether Republicans have erased the Democratic supermajority in the Colorado House has been ordered by Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s office.

Following the order of a recount Monday in House District 16, Griswold, as expected, ordered the recount in House District 19 later this week.

After the tabulation of 56,729 votes in the Boulder and Weld County state House District 19 race, Republican Dan Woog was 109 votes ahead of Democrat Jillaire McMillan, by a margin of 20 one-hundredths of 1 percent of the vote, or 0.2%. State law requires a recount of an election with a margin of victory between the two leading candidates of less than half of 1 percent, or a 0.5% margin.

“The counties within this district have been notified to begin preparations to proceed with a recount for this race, which must be completed by Dec. 6,” notification of the order by Griswold’s office reads.

Following the submission of canvassed results in the race, Nov. 26 by Weld County and Nov. 27 by Boulder County, Griswold called for the recount.

On Nov. 15, Woog announced the win via his Twitter/X account: “It is a great day. We won…and now I look forward to representing all of House District 19.”

He also noted his opponent: “She ran a really good race. She came in late and worked her tail off. She actually came to debates and it made it a pleasure, it was fun to run against her.”

Republicans will need both recounts to return favorably in order to preserve the elimination of the Democratic supermajority in the Colorado House. Republicans hold 22 seats in the Colorado House, including Districts 16 and 19. If Republicans were to lose either race, Democrats would hold a supermajority.

While Woog has some breathing room in District 19 with the 120-vote lead, the House District 16 race was decided by six votes. Republican Rebecca Keltie finished ahead of Democrat Stephanie Vigil by a margin of 2 one-hundredths of 1 percent of the vote, or 0.02%.

The process for both recounts is identical. It calls for a bipartisan canvass board to perform a logic and accuracy test, sometimes referred to as a “LAT”, on its tabulation equipment and then begin recounting ballots.

State law requires the recount in both races to be completed by no later than Dec. 6. The orders note that because of the manner of tabulation of the original ballots in the races, the three counties will be required to re-scan ballots counted during those elections in a similar manner.

The order further requires counties to provide the secretary of state a date and time it will “begin, conduct and complete its recount” in the two races.

“Voters demanded balance this election and House Republicans will remain focused on delivering balanced policy solutions to the very real problems facing our state,” Colorado House Minority Leader Rose Pugliese wrote recently on Twitter/X.