The number of votes separating Durango City Council candidates Dave Woodruff and Harrison Wendt shrank from six votes to four votes Thursday morning, kicking off a recount to determine the winner.
Woodruff had the four-vote lead after outstanding ballots were “cured” Thursday morning, said La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee.
Counting cured, military and overseas ballots, Woodruff had 2,435 votes and Wendt had 2,431 votes, according to the clerk and recorder’s office.
There was a slight increase in votes from election night results, which showed 2,405 votes for Woodruff and 2,399 votes for Wendt.
Woodruff ran on his business accolades and Wendt vowed to be a voice for working-class and underrepresented residents.
The recount began Thursday morning and was expected to be completed by end of day.
Lee said the recount requires every ballot to be reprocessed. That means ballots will again have their signatures verified by bipartisan election judges and run through tabulation machines.
The outcome of the recount, which is mandatory because the difference in votes is less than 0.5%, will determine which candidate will be sworn into City Council along with election winner Gilda Yazzie on Tuesday.
The April 4 election night results showed Yazzie held a comfortable lead over her four opponents with 2,714 votes.
cburney@durangoherald.com
