County executive candidates add to vote totals as Montgomery recount continues
As the recount in the Democratic primary for Montgomery County executive nears an end, businessman David Blair has closed the gap on incumbent Marc Elrich’s lead by three votes.
Montgomery County elections workers gathered Monday for a fourth straight day at the Germantown Community Center, working their way through every ballot cast in the county during the July 19 primary. Around 6 p.m., a dwindling number of remaining workers were dismissed to a rowdy round of applause, and the work to tabulate results shifted to the board’s office.
After 11 p.m. Monday night, the county elections board released preliminary results in the full recount:
- Blair gained one vote during the early voting period.
- Both Blair and Elrich gained four votes from the prior Election Day totals.
- Neither candidate gained additional votes from provisional ballots.
- Blair gained five additional votes from mail ballots, while Elrich added three.
In total, Blair has added 10 votes and Elrich has added seven, according to the board.
Internal auditing of the mail-in ballots will continue on Tuesday.
The Montgomery County Board of Elections is expected to meet Wednesday to certify the recount results.
Danielle E. Gaines
Contributor
Danielle Gaines worked for Maryland Matters from September 2018 to January 2024. She covered government and politics for Maryland Matters for two years before moving into an editing position, ultimately serving as editor-in-chief for nearly three years. Previously, she spent six years at The Frederick News-Post ― as the paper’s principal government and politics reporter for half that time, covering courts and legal affairs before that. She also reported for the now-defunct The Gazette of Politics and Business in Maryland and previously worked as a county government and education reporter at The Merced Sun-Star in California’s Central Valley.
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