RACINE, Wis. — A judicial seat in Racine County is still up for grabs more than two weeks after election day with a recount underway.
Just 55 of the more than 60,000 votes cast in the county are the difference between winning or losing the race for a spot on the Racine County Circuit Court bench.
The recount was requested by incumbent Judge Jon Fredrickson after newcomer Attorney Jamie McClendon came out on top.
The process has been drawing in election observers to the courthouse from all over the county like retired civics and history teacher Saunnie Yelton-Stanley.
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“It’s interesting to watch the process as it occurs and see the redundancy and see the checks," Yelton-Stanely said.
Fellow recount observer and Village of Windpoint Trustee Charles Manning said that given how close the margin was between candidates he expected a recount to happen.
Tabulators have spent long hours all week beginning Monday morning and working into the late evening to account for more than 70 thousand ballots by hand.
“To actually witness the extreme care that’s taken with our ballots, it’s remarkable,” Manning said.
While McClendon was deemed the winner in the initial vote, Racine County clerk Wendy Christensen said it’s still anyone’s race. Both candidates were at the courthouse Friday to witness the recount.
With more than 50 percent of the process complete, Christensen also said they have found a few discrepancies, like a missing signature on an absentee ballot, leading to rejection.
Watch: Residents witness 'extreme care' in Racine County recount
She said those discrepancies however are happening on both sides, so the margin between candidates has remained so far.
“I’d be surprised if 55 was flipped,” Yelton-Stanley said. “The checks before it gets to this point, it would be surprising for that many to flip.”
The clerk’s office plans to continue the recount over the weekend into next week. They have until Thursday to complete the process for a final result.
In this case, Wisconsin law allows for the recount to be paid for by the county, as the margin between candidates is less than 1%.
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