Recount Ordered For Statewide Commonwealth Court Race

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By: KDKA-TV News Staff

HARRISBURG (KDKA/AP) - Pennsylvania's top election official will order a statewide recount in the race for an open seat on the Commonwealth Court after two candidates finished within a half-percentage point of each other.

Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid issued notice Wednesday that she'll order a statutorily required statewide recount.

The Department of State said Republican Stacy Marie Wallace finished with 26.61 percent of the total votes, securing one of two open seats. But Democrat Lori A. Dumas and Republican Drew Crompton, who finished in second and third place respectively, have vote totals within the one-half percent margin, triggering a recount under state law.

Crompton had until noon Wednesday to waive a recount, the department said.

Dumas is a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge. Crompton is a former state Senate GOP aide who was sworn in last year to temporarily fill an opening on the court.

The court handles cases involving state government and local governments.

Counties have two weeks to carry out a recount. The Department of State estimates it will cost at least $1.3 million in taxpayer money.

Almost 2.8 million ballots were cast in the election, or about 31% of Pennsylvania's 8.7 million registered voters.

Since the automatic recount provision was enacted in 2004, the Department of State says it's been triggered five times with two recounts carried out. Both times they confirmed the initial results.