Election officials begin mandatory recount in a Tri-Cities race with 6-vote difference

Benton County election workers and officials on Monday began a mandatory manual recount in the race for a seat on the Benton PUD Commission after the final round of counting in November ended with two candidates just six votes apart.

Challenger Mike Massey currently leads 12-year incumbent Commissioner Barry Bush by 0.01% of the votes cast.

Results from the Nov. 5 general election show Massey has 23,797 votes to Bush’s 23,791.

Benton County Auditor Brenda Chilton said state law mandates a recount by hand when the vote difference is less than 150 votes or less than 0.25%.

She estimated it will take four days for the recount. The election certification is to be certified at 11 a.m. Dec. 10.

The recount process is open for the public to watch at the Benton County Election Center at the Justice Center campus at 7122 West Okanogan Place, Building F, in Kennewick.

For any questions, contact the Elections Division at 509-736-3085.

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 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 December 2, 2024 at 4:32 PM.