The first bill for Arizonaâs first congressional recount is on its way to the Secretary of Stateâs Office.
Pima County Elections Director Brad Nelson said his office has spent roughly $35,000 to perform the mandated audit of election results.
The recount took nearly two weeks to complete and required county election officials to hand count five percent of the nearly 220,000 ballots cast either for Republican Martha McSally or Democrat Ron Barber in Congressional District 2.
Completed in mid-December, the recount found McSally, a retired Air Force colonel, had defeated her Democratic rival by 167 votes.
The cost for the count in neighboring Cochise County is still being added up, Katie Howard, the countyâs elections director, said on Friday.
While the recount required both counties to pay for the upfront costs associated with tabulating the ballots for a second time, the Arizona Secretary of Stateâs Office will fully reimburse both counties.
