County judge race recount dragging on longer than expected at elections headquarters

NSBNEWS.net photos by Henry Frederick.

The machine recount of the primary race for county judge between incumbent Mary Jane Henderson and challenger Robert Sanders Jr., is expected to be completed later tonight.announced by 8 p.m.. At far left, county elections employees feed ballots into machines. Above, The thrtee-member Canvassing Board -- Supervisor of Elections Ann McFall, County Council Chairman Frank Bruno and Circuit Judge David Beck -- go over elections data at elections headquarters at the historic Volusia Coiunrty Courthouse in DeLand.

DELAND  -- The machine recount for the county judge race was dragging on longer than elections officials had hoped as 19-year incumbent Mary Jane Henderson and challenger Robert Sanders Jr., who was ahead by 53 votes following Tueesday's primary, were bunkered down.

NSBNEWS.net photo by Henry Frederick.

County Judge Mary Jane Henderson, 55, of New Smyrna Beach, passes the time Friday by writing on her laptop during the daylong voting machine recount.. Well past 8 p.m., ballots were still being run through the machines.

vote The machine count was anticipated being done by 5:30 p.m., but by that point, Supervisor of Elections Ann McFall and her staff of 30 were only midway through the precincts, having started the count at 9 a.m.

McFall blamed the delay on the tedious, but important, "process" of unsealing and sealing ballots, adding the machines are holding up fine.

The candidates were on pins and needles as the elections workers wewnt about their business as McFall and fellow canvassing board members Frank Bruno, county council cairmnan, and David Beck, a circuit judge, were reviewing data.

"Im just waiting patiently," said Henderson who was biding her time by either typing on her laptop or doing a crossword puzzle.

"I'm just waiting with patience," she said. "People say patience is a virtue (and) I'm learning to exercise it."

Sanders, 41, of Ormond Beach,, a criminal defense attorney, said he he preferred to hold off on any comments until the recount is done.

But even after the recount, there's a a hand count of 10,000-plus "under-counted" ballots whre voters didn't appear to select either candidate.

Sanders emerged the unofficial winner of Tuesday's primary, 33,618 to 33,565, a difference of 74 votes. But after provisional ballots set aside were examined, his lead shrunk to 54.

There were 77,448 votes cast in the primary, but 10,261 of them were rejected as under-counted because the machines failed to pick up any markings in the bubbles next to either candidates' name, so these have to be hand inspected.

That process could continue well into the overnight hours with elections officials having to gear up for a 9 a.m. Saturday machine recount in the district 3 County Council race, with George Trovato ahead of Deborah Denuys by a narrow margin. The winner of the recount will fave primary winner Joie Alexander in a runoff in November.