A recount was underway in the Park City mayoral election on Friday. The results are not expected to be finalized until the middle of the week, extending a dramatic campaign season until at least the day before Thanksgiving.
There is a seven-vote margin in the contest between Park City Councilor Ryan Dickey and Jack Rubin, who brings an executive background to the campaign.
According to state law, a recount is allowed if the difference between the number of votes cast for a winning candidate in the race and the losing candidate is equal to or less than .25%. The mayoral election margin is within the range that allows a recount request. Rubin asked for a recount on Thursday afternoon, two days after the results were certified and a day before the deadline to seek a recount.
Dickey received 1,706 votes, or 50.1%, and Rubin received 1,699 votes, or 49.9%.
The Summit County Clerk’s Office started the recount on Friday at the County Courthouse in Coalville. It is expected to continue on Monday and Tuesday, when an audit of the ballots is tentatively scheduled in the afternoon. The Park City Council, acting as the Board of Canvassers, is scheduled to consider the results of the recount at a meeting on Wednesday morning.
“Our campaign was thrilled to be certified as the election winner by the Park City Council on Tuesday, and we’re looking forward to all we will accomplish in the next four years. At the same time, we respect the Rubin campaign’s right to request a recount. Our campaign remains extremely confident in the accuracy of the count, the professionalism of the Summit County Clerk’s Office, and the strength of our election system,” Dickey said in a prepared statement.
Rubin declined to comment.