6 votes separate this race in Benton County. Now, it’s headed to a mandatory recount
Benton County elections officials will begin a mandatory recount in the race for a seat on the Benton PUD Commission after final ballot counts show the two candidates are just six votes apart.
Challenger Mike Massey leads 12-year incumbent Commissioner Barry Bush by 0.01% of votes cast.
Massey has 23,797 votes and Bush trails with 23,791.
Massey told the Tri-City Herald on Tuesday that he feels “very confident” he’ll keep his lead. Recent recounts have shown Benton County elections to be accurate to their first tally.
“Every vote counts. I appreciate all those folks who have supported me,” he said.
Bush told the Herald he doesn’t believe he’ll find the votes to overcome Massey, but declined to comment further.
County election departments are required to conduct a recount by hand when the vote difference is less than 150 votes or less than 0.25%, Benton County Auditor Brenda Chilton says.
County election staff will begin the recount 8:30 a.m. on Monday. It’s estimated it will take four days and will be complete by Thursday, Dec. 5. The election certification is at 11 a.m. Dec. 10.
Benton County PUD
Benton PUD is governed by a three-person elected board. The District 3 seat that Bush and Massey are sparring over includes neighborhoods in south Kennewick.
Bush was elected in 2012 and recently served as board president. He’s worked in energy and agriculture businesses, and was in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Massey is a Benton County Republican Party state committeeman who works as a general manager for food processor South Basin Packing. He also has experience in the banking industry.
Both candidates ran on similar issues, vowing to protect energy generation provided by the Lower Snake River dams, support the construction of modular nuclear reactors and fight a plan to build the state’s largest wind farm along 24 miles of the Horse Heaven Hills.
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 4:33 PM.
