It’s starting to look like a recount may be needed to determine who will be the state’s next governor.

Democrat Christine Gregoire led Republican Dino Rossi by less than two-tenths of a percent Friday night after the latest batch of absentee ballots was counted statewide.

She holds a 4,001-vote edge out of 2.48 million votes. An estimated 360,000 absentee and provisional ballots remain to be counted.

Recounts are required under state law when an election is decided by a half-percent or less.

Snohomish County elections manager Carolyn Diepenbrock said Friday night that her office has been inundated with calls about the governor’s race.

“When are you going to file the results online?” she said they wanted to know.

Meanwhile, longtime state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen probably slept better last night.

After 22 years in the Legislature, Haugen faced a tough challenge from Mount Vernon City Councilwoman April Axthelm in Tuesday’s general election.

But after Snohomish County tabulated 59,379 absentee ballots Friday, and Island and Skagit counties updated their numbers, Haugen increased her lead in the 10th Legislative District race. She gathered 25,230 votes, for 50 percent, compared with Axthelm’s 23,747, or 47 percent.

In another close 10th District race, Clinton Republican Chris Strow continues to lead Democratic Coupeville Mayor Nancy Conard for the Position 1 House seat. Strow has 24,476 votes, or 50 percent, to Conard’s 23,156, or 47 percent. The winner will replace retiring Republican Barry Sehlin.

In the 1st Legislative District, in south Snohomish County, Democrat Mark Ericks continues to lead Republican Joshua Freed 51 percent to 49 percent. The vote total was 27,771 to 26,456.

And in Mill Creek, the lead expanded for an emergency services levy, 61 percent to 39 percent. It takes 60 percent to pass, and was only leading by a few votes earlier this week. The tally now is 3,779 to 2,422.

Despite the close races, county Auditor Bob Terwilliger said he doesn’t expect any recounts in local races. “Nothing here’s a recount,” he said.

Terwilliger said about 10,000 provisional ballots will be counted on Wednesday, along with 10,000 outtakes – when the counting machines spit out a ballot for some reason, such as an errant marking.

Provisional ballots usually occur when people go to the wrong polling place because they have moved or lose their absentee ballot and vote at the polls.

“We have to cross-check those,” Terwilliger said.

The number of provisional ballots is up because so many more people voted in the presidential election. The county signed up 50,000 new voters this year, 22,000 of them since the September primary.

With almost 20,000 remaining ballots, turnout is at 78.5 percent, or 276,171.

Terwilliger said he appreciated all the attention the election got nationwide. Lawyers hired by the Democratic and Republican parties didn’t have much to do here, he said. “It was like watching paint dry,” Terwilliger said.

He said he hopes the scrutiny continues, because it only makes the system better.

“I hope it won’t go away,” he said. “My fear is the next election nobody will watch.

“Now, more people understand the mystery we call elections.”

Assistant city editor Steve Powell: 425-339-3427 or powell@ heraldnet.com.