Recount requested by losing candidate in House district that covers Highlands Ranch

Incumbent Republican Rep. Kurt Huffman is paying for a recount in the Colorado House District 43 race after results show he lost by just over 400 votes to Democratic challenger Robert “Bob” Marshall. 

A press release from the Colorado secretary of state’s office said Douglas County election officials have been told to prepare for the recount, which must be done by Dec. 15, according to state statute. The race was not close enough to trigger an automatic recount under Colorado law, but an interested party in a race is able to request and self-fund a recount if desired.

Douglas County estimated the recount would cost $738, and Huffman followed up with a check for $1,000 to the department of state on Dec. 7. Douglas County received a recount order on Dec. 8, and any unused funds in the recount will be returned to the candidate. 

Huffman requested the recount only apply to ballots that originally needed to be reexamined by an election judge to clarify, in a process called readjudication. Basically, the recount will double check that the human-counted votes in the House District 43 race were accurately recorded. 

Uncertified results show that Marshall had 50.45% of the district’s vote, beating Huffman who had 49.55% of the vote. The district covers the Highlands Ranch community south of Denver.

It is rare for a recount to actually change the results of an election, as seen in Colorado’s recent history when Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters paid over a quarter of a million dollars for a statewide recount in the Republican primary election for secretary of state.