NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Democratic candidate Julia Boseman called for a recount late Tuesday in the Board of Commissioners race where less than five hundred votes separate four candidates.
“I had accepted the election results two weeks ago,” said Boseman. “But, my supporters have asked me to request a recount. A lot of people worked very hard on this campaign and, at the end of the day, it’s not about me. It’s about my supporters and the people of New Hanover County.”
Tuesday’s canvass did not change the unofficial winners of the three open seats on the Board. However, it did both change the rankings and bring the finally tallies much closer together. The narrow margins of the official count present the possibility of an upset following Boseman’s recount.
“I’m not sure a recount will change the outcome of the vote,” Boseman said. She pointed out that her request for a recount would not put additional strain on the county Board of Elections. “They’re already doing the gubernatorial recount. So this is not going to be an additional burden on anyone. Again, I just want to honor my supporters’ wishes.”
Between Election Day and Tuesday’s canvass, Democrat Jonathan Barfield pulled ahead of Republican Patricia Kusek by a slim margin of 53 votes. Democrat Julia Boseman and Republican Derrick Hickey placed fourth and fifth in the race, trailing Kusek by 364 and 430 votes respectively. Woody White, with a lead of 3,405 votes over Barfield, is least likely to be affected by a recount.
