Richland council race still really close. Is it headed for a recount?

Kurt H. Maier will face a still-undetermined opponent for Richland City Council Position 6 in the Nov. 7 general election.

The race for second place in the Aug. 1 primary was still too close to call after the Benton County Auditor released updated results Wednesday.

Maier received 5,378 votes or 48% of the 11,153 votes cast.

Kent Madsen led Mark Newman by 2,890 votes to 2,816, or 25.9% to 25.2%. That’s difference of 74 votes or 0.66 points.

There were also 69 write-in votes.

Results will be updated at 4 p.m. Thursday.

A spokeswoman for the auditor’s office said it won’t be clear if an automatic recount is required until the final results are confirmed.

The Position 6 race to succeed Terry Christensen is one of five Richland City Council positions on the ballot in November. It was the only race that appeared on the primary ballot to narrow the field to two candidates.

Wendy Culverwell

Tri-City Herald

Reporter Wendy Culverwell writes about growth, development and business for the Tri-City Herald. She has worked for daily and weekly publications in Washington and Oregon. She earned a degree in English and economics from the University of Puget Sound. Support my work with a digital subscription