Recount likely for Tucson's Ward 3 primary race

Challenger Sadie Shaw is within 19 votes of incumbent Tucson Councilman Kevin Dahl, an unexpected update in the vote count Friday in the city’s primary election shows.

At that margin, the race is well within range to trigger an automatic recount, city spokesman Andy Squire said. State law requires an automatic recount for any primary or general election when results for two candidates have a margin of less than or equal to one-half of one percent of the votes cast.

Less than 100 votes were left to be counted late Friday afternoon in the Ward 3 race, Squire said.

The City Clerk’s Office will begin to tabulate provisional ballots beginning at 1 p.m. Monday.

The city council is expected to hold a virtual meeting at 1 p.m. Tuesday to canvass the primary election results.

On Tuesday, Shaw trailed Dahl by 138 votes, but that tight margin did not keep him from declaring victory in the Democratic primary for Ward 3.

Shaw, a member of the Tucson Unified School District governing board, was critical immediately after the election of Dahl declaring victory with about 800 ballots still left to be counted.

On Saturday, Shaw said she was “feeling hopeful that we will continue to close the margin.”

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After updated results were released, Shaw said in a social media post Friday that “This is why we mean it when we say, ‘every vote counts.’” She said her supporters should look out for any contact from the Pima County Recorder’s Office about their ballot.

Friday’s updated results from the city clerk’s office show Dahl with 3,288 votes compared to 3,269 for Shaw.

Dahl said Saturday the margin is closer than he thought it would be.

“But I think the number still show me winning. I’m glad that we’re counting every vote and it also indicates that every vote counts,” Dahl said. “Elections like these should tell everybody that it’s important to vote.”

The winner will face Republican Janet Wittenbraker in November’s general election.

Updates of vote totals Friday afternoon did not change the results for the other two primary elections. In Wards 5 and 6, Selina Barajas and Miranda Schubert resoundingly won their primary races.

Nearly a third of registered Democrats in Tucson voted in the three primary races, according to unofficial results released Friday afternoon.