CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN — Two votes separate incumbent Spencer Deery and challenger Paula Copenhaver in the GOP race for Indiana’s state senate 23rd District as of Monday night.
The Montgomery County Election Board met Monday and counted its three provisional ballots. Only one of those ballots pertained to the 23rd District, and its vote went to Copenhaver, Clerk Sondra Sixberry said Tuesday morning.
Earlier Monday, the Fountain County Election Board also met, and two of its three provisional ballots were for Copenhaver, and the third was for Deery.
By the end of the day Monday, Deery’s four-vote lead shrank to just two votes over Copenhaver.
Parke County has one provisional ballot, which is not enough to pass Deery. Its election board meets at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
That leaves Tippecanoe County, which has two provisional ballots from the 23rd District, Tippecanoe County Clerk Julie Roush said. The election board will decide the fates of provisional ballots on Friday at its meeting.
Roush’s staff is still researching one of the provisional ballots to determine whether the voter is registered. The other ballot is not signed, and the person has not yet responded to attempts to verify the signature, Roush said.
Warren and Vermillion counties also are in the 23rd District, but those counties did not have any provisional ballots, clerk staff members said last week.
Counties across the state must certify their elections no later than Friday, according to the secretary of state’s office.
The first day candidates can ask for a recount is also Friday.
The Deery/Copenhaver race has made national headlines because President Donald Trump’s political machine backed contested primary races against seven state senators who voted last year against redistricting the state’s congressional districts.
Deery voted against the proposal, and his race has been too close to call since election night, although both Deery and Copenhaver declared their victory that night.
Five Trump-backed challengers defeated incumbent GOP state senators who had voted against redistricting, and another fended off a Trump-backed challenger.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Deery leads by 2 votes in 23rd District; recounts might start Friday
Reporting by Ron Wilkins, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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