A view of the Colorado House of Representatives on Jan. 24, 2024. (Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline)
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold ordered a mandatory recount of votes in House District 16 on Tuesday.
That race is between incumbent Democratic state Rep. Steph Vigil and her Republican challenger, Rebecca Keltie. The district is in Colorado Springs.
As of Tuesday, Keltie led Vigil by six votes. That differential is well within mandatory recount territory, which happens when the vote difference is within 0.5% of the leader’s total votes. Keltie has 20,641 votes, so the margin is about 0.03%.
In a Nov. 15 statement, Vigil said she would honor the results of the final outcome.
The El Paso County Clerk has until Dec. 6 to complete the recount. It is the only mandatory recount called so far for the 2024 general election.
The district is one of three that Republicans appear to have flipped this year, all by very slim margins. Republican Rep.-elect Dan Woog defeated Democrat Jillaire McMillan in House District 19 and Republican Rep.-elect Ryan Gonzales beat Democratic Rep. Mary Young in House District 50. If the recount confirms the results in House District 16, Democrats will hold a 43-22 majority in the chamber next year. A two-thirds supermajority requires 44 seats.
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