Election recounts possible in tight Indiana House races

The Republican candidate for a southern Indiana legislative seat plans to seek a recount after updated vote tallies showed him losing by 155 votes.

The Clark County Election Board released unofficial results Friday that gave Democratic Rep. Rita Fleming of Jeffersonville the slight lead over Republican Scott Hawkins, wiping out a 35-vote lead that Hawkins had in preliminary totals issued Tuesday night.

The board’s action came after Clark County Clerk Susan Popp said a memory card with some 1,700 votes was not recorded correctly to the computer system.

Hawkins said he was sure a recount would be sought given the closeness of the race.
The results for an Indiana House seat in the Bloomington area also tightened as Monroe County officials added about 6,600 ballots that were cast in the final days of early voting.

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Initial results from Tuesday night had Republican Dave Hall ahead of Democrat Penny Githens by more than 1,000 votes. The revised totals, however, slashed Hall’s lead to 37 votes.
Candidates have until Nov. 22 to request a recount.

Republicans will maintain their large majority in the Indiana House regardless of the outcomes in the two races.