Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge race headed for recount. Difference is 179 votes
The race for Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge is headed for a recount, with the difference between the candidates just 179 votes.
The Hamilton County Board of Elections met Wednesday morning to approve provisional ballots and certify the results. The official count: Stacey DeGraffenreid received 130,331 votes; Rickell Howard Smith, 130,152 votes.
That 179-vote difference was less than 0.5% – the threshold that triggers a recount.
The recount is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 30, officials said.
Hamilton County Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou said he expects the recount to confirm DeGraffenreid won the race. DeGraffenreid was endorsed by the Republican Party.
"Recounts rarely change anything," Triantafilou told The Enquirer. "I can't remember the last time a recount changed more than a handful of votes."
Congratulations to Judge-elect Stacey Degraffenreid who just minutes ago was named the official winner of the Ham Co Juvenile Court contest by a whopping 179 votes! Every vote counts! https://t.co/8kf9tzwVmb
— Alex Triantafilou (@ChairmanAlex) November 23, 2022
Smith did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
In a statement to The Enquirer, DeGraffenreid said: "We are confident the current results will hold true after the Board of Elections conducts its recount. We will continue to monitor the process and remain cautiously optimistic."
DeGraffenreid was leading after the votes were counted on Nov. 8. But at that time there were approximately 8,000 provisional ballots to consider as well as late-arriving absentee ballots.
Provisional ballots are used when a voter shows up at a polling location, but that person's address doesn't match what is in the elections database. Someone who requested an absentee ballot but then showed up at a polling location to vote also would cast a provisional ballot.
DeGraffenreid is a longtime county assistant prosecutor, who has served as the head of the juvenile division since January 2021. Smith, a civil rights attorney, is executive director of the Center for Social Justice at the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio. Smith was endorsed by the Democratic Party.
The seat is open because Judge Melissa Powers is retiring.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge race headed for recount
