It’s a tie. Candidates for the Kent County Recorder of Deeds position are at a dead heat after a court-ordered hand recount of absentee ballots Monday afternoon. Both Republican challenger La Mar Gunn and Democrat incumbent Betty Lou McKenna are deadlocked with 19,248 votes each in a race that has already seen three recounts prior to Monday. The tie – unprecedented in recent history – has yet to be certified. Gunn could still mount a legal challenge over one absentee ballot that he and the GOP contend was unclear as to what the voter’s intent was.
If the tie is certified, the Recorder of Deeds position – the person responsible for indexing and maintaining copies of legal land documents, like mortgages – would be declared vacant. Governor Jack Markell would appoint someone to the position, according to state Elections Commissioner Elaine Manlove. It’s unclear who Markell could or could not appoint. “I didn’t think about a tie, to be honest,” Manlove said right after the recount. “That crossed my mind earlier, but not today.”
Leaving the Kent County Superior Court Monday, McKenna, who has held the office since 2003, said she was satisfied with the result. “Now I’m going to wait for the governor’s call,” she said.
Full Article: Fourth Kent County recount ends in tie.