A Democrat candidate for sheriff in Louisiana won the race by a single vote in Saturday’s runoff election, prompting his Republican opponent to request an official recount, as his margin of loss was just 0.00002% of the vote.
BREAKING: Dem wins the Louisiana sheriff’s race by one vote.
When people say that every vote counts, this is what they mean. pic.twitter.com/uxsP54ZtAE
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) November 22, 2023
Democrat candidate Henry Whitehorn won the sheriff’s race in the Louisiana parish of Caddo with 21,621 votes, compared to Republican candidate John Nickelson’s 21,620 votes, according to unofficial election results posted on the state government’s website.
In a letter posted to Facebook on Tuesday, Nickelson requested that the Caddo Parish clerk order a hand recount of the ballots, as well as inspect all 43,241 in-person, absentee, mail-in and provisional ballots that were cast in the runoff election for sheriff. He also asked that the clerk inspect rejected ballots.
“I love Caddo Parish, and I am profoundly grateful to the tens of thousands of voters who cast their ballots in last Saturday’s runoff election for Caddo Parish Sheriff. Our democracy falters when we fail to fulfill our sacred civic duty to vote,” the GOP candidate wrote in the Facebook post.
“A single vote reportedly separates me from my opponent in the unofficial returns: 1 of 43,241,” the post continued. “This extraordinarily narrow margin—a difference of .00002—absolutely requires a hand recount to protect the integrity of our democratic process, and to ensure we respect the will of the people. I have requested that recount, and the law requires it to occur next Monday, November 27, 2023.”
“Please stand with me and my team as we fight for a safer Caddo Parish,” Nickelson concluded.
Nickelson has already sent the Caddo Parish clerk a $1,200 cashier’s check to cover the cost of the recount.
Meanwhile, Whitehorn has expressed confidence that he will remain the winner after a recount.
“I’m grateful I came out victorious with one vote. It’s like we tell people all the time: every vote counts. I’m thankful that the results are what they are, and I believe they will stay as they are,” Whitehorn wrote in a statement on Monday, according to local news station KSLA 12.
The recount has been set for Monday, November 27.
