Lynnwood City Council incumbent Jim Smith and challenger Van AuBuchon still seem to be campaigning against each other as they approach a hand recount scheduled for Wednesday.
The Smith-AuBuchon contest is headed for a hand recount because certified election results show AuBuchon leading Smith by only 12 votes out of a combined total of 7,228.
A margin of 0.5 percent or less of two candidates’ total triggers a machine recount. A margin of 0.25 percent or less triggers a hand recount.
Smith blamed Aubuchon’s late move to a “hit piece” that came out right before the election.
Smith led in early returns following the Nov. 8 election, but AuBuchon gained as more ballots came in, catching Smith on Nov. 15, moving ahead by four votes on Nov. 16 and stretching the lead to 14 on Nov. 17, before Smith cut the lead by one vote on Nov. 22 and one more in the final count, Nov. 28.
AuBuchon chides Smith for an ad that thanks voters for re-electing him.
Smith said a week before the recount that he had put the ad on his Web site and hadn’t removed it.
Smith said he plans to go to Everett on Wednesday to observe the recount. AuBuchon didn’t say whether he would attend.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com
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