Five Votes Separate Butte Commissioner Candidates as Recount Looms

District 9 challenger Allison Andersen plans to seek a recount after unofficial returns show incumbent Eric Mankins holding a razor-thin lead.

BUTTE, Mont. — Just five votes separate two candidates in one of Butte-Silver Bow's closest local election contests, leaving the outcome of the District 9 commission race unsettled as county election officials prepare to certify the results.

Unofficial returns from the November 3 election show incumbent Commissioner Eric Mankins with 638 votes and challenger Allison Andersen with 633. The narrow margin has prompted Andersen to announce plans to request a recount once the results become official.

The difference amounts to less than half of one percentage point of the votes cast for the two candidates, making the contest close enough that a change involving only a handful of ballots could determine who represents District 9.

A Race Too Close for Comfort

The five-vote separation has placed unusual attention on the county's election certification and recount procedures.

Andersen told MTN News following the election that she had not expected the race to finish so closely. She also said her supporters deserved a recount to ensure the ballots were counted correctly.

Mankins, the incumbent, held the advantage in the initial count. However, the unofficial figures are not the final certified result, and no recount had been completed as of the latest reporting available for this article.

For District 9 residents, the uncertainty means their next representative has not yet been conclusively determined.

What Happens Next?

Butte-Silver Bow Clerk and Recorder Cindy Sherman told MTN News that the county has until November 17 to certify the election results.

Under the recount procedure Sherman described, a candidate may request a recount at no cost if the official margin is within 10 votes. The request must be made within five days after certification.

With only five votes separating the candidates in the unofficial count, the District 9 contest could qualify for that process if the margin remains sufficiently narrow after certification.

A recount does not automatically mean the result will change. Election officials would review the ballots under the applicable recount procedures, and the final totals could remain the same or change.

Every Ballot Matters

The District 9 race stands in contrast to other Butte-Silver Bow commission contests decided by much wider margins.

In District 7, incumbent Joshua O'Neill held a substantial lead over challenger Ready Frost, receiving approximately 68 percent of the vote in early returns. In District 11, challenger Mitzi Rossillon led incumbent Tommy Walker.

But District 9 has become the contest attracting attention because of the unusually small difference between the candidates.

Of the 1,271 votes reported for Mankins and Andersen combined, the incumbent received approximately 50.2 percent and the challenger approximately 49.8 percent.

Those numbers illustrate how a small number of ballots can determine representation in local government.

Certification Will Be the Next Test

The election also took place as Butte-Silver Bow voters considered several proposed changes to their local government structure. Voters chose to retain the existing charter arrangement, which includes a chief executive and a 12-member Council of Commissioners.

Who occupies the District 9 seat therefore matters within a government structure voters have elected to preserve.

For now, the next step is certification of the November 3 results. If the official margin remains within the threshold described by the county election administrator, Andersen can formally pursue the recount she has said she intends to request.

Until that process is resolved, the five-vote lead remains provisional, and the final outcome of the District 9 race remains uncertain.