AUGUSTA, Maine - With nearly all the votes counted, Maine 1st District Republican primary candidate Ande Smith is only a few dozen votes behind rival Mark Holbrook, out of the nearly 21,000 votes cast in the race.
Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap says that makes it one of the closest congressional primaries in recent state history, but says his office is ready for a recount should one be requested.
"The aggregate total of actual ballots is actually less then it was in the Senate District 25 recount two years ago, so the number of ballots would be pretty conceivable to count," Dunlap says.
The District 25 race involved the state senate seat in the Cumberland and Yarmouth area. Dunlap says Smith has until early next week to formally ask for a recount. He says about 90 percent of the towns use optical scanners to count votes, so any errors found will likely be among absentee ballots and paper ballots in some small towns.
