Price asks for recanvass after 76-vote loss in District Judge’s race

Whitley and McCreary County election officials will be conducting a re-canvass in the Division Two District Judge’s race Friday morning.

On election night, incumbent Judge Jason Price lost to challenger Fred White by 76 total votes in the two-county race.
Price carried McCreary County by a total of 2,433 votes to White’s 2,074 votes, but White beat Price in Whitley County by a total of 4,323 votes to Price’s 3,888 votes.

Price requested the re-canvass Monday afternoon.

"Due to the small margin of votes between the candidates for Division II District Judge in Whitley and McCreary Counties, I hereby request a re-canvass of votes," Price wrote in his request.

Price said that "only God knows" if the results will change with the re-canvass.

Price admits that he has no idea what the percentage is of election outcomes being changed by a re-canvass.

"Running a campaign involves a whole lot of people. It is impossible for one person to get over the hump on his own," Price said. "I just feel like I owe it to all the people that supported me just to follow up."

The re-canvass in all counties is set for 9 a.m. Friday under state law.

Whitley County Clerk Kay Schwartz said that given the small margin that separated the two candidates, she had been expecting a re-canvass in the race, but said she doesn’t expect any changes.

During a re-canvass, election officials basically double check their vote totals from the machines in each precinct to make sure that all the vote totals were added up correctly in the race.

Although many people use the terms interchangeably, there are stark differences between a re-canvass, which is being done Friday, and a recount.

The most notable is that a re-canvass is free.

A recount involves filing suit in circuit court, and the candidate requesting a recount has to pay to have it done.

"During a re-canvass, we simply check our totals, our recordings against the tapes that are brought in from the precincts off of the machines and check our adding," Schwartz said.

"A recount is done through the circuit judge. They have to set the price for that. It is where you actually take the ballots out and hand count them."

Price said that he is taking a "wait and see" attitude in regards to thoughts about asking for a recount, if the election results are the same after the re-canvass.

"I don’t know at this point," Price said Monday evening.

One thing Price is certain of is that he will run for judge again.

"I’ll run again. There is no doubt in my mind. District judge is a job where you can help a lot of people," he added.