November 17, 2014 02:36 PM UTC

Late Adams County Results--Salazar Wins, May Maybe Done

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE #2: Lynn Bartels at the Denver Post reports, Rep. Jenise May concedes Monday night:

As a result, Speaker-designee Dickey Lee Hullinghorst of Boulder now must pick two members to serve on the powerful Joint Budget Committee. Both House Democrats on the JBC are gone: May lost her election and JBC chair Cristana Duran was just elected as the House majority leader.

“I’ll continue on the JBC for a few more days until they replace me and then I’ll help my replacement transition,” May said

“It was an experience,” May said, of her legislative experience, which officially ends Jan. 7. “I did a lot of things for my community that I’m proud of.”

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UPDATE: A helpful primer on the threshold for recounts in Colorado, for those following the HD-30 race:

Pursuant to CRS 1-10.5-101(b); 1-11-102 A recount is required if the difference between the highest number of votes cast in that election contest and the next highest number of votes cast in that election contest is less than or equal to one-half of one percent of the highest votes cast in that election contest. If there is more than one person to be elected in a contest, a recount shall be held if the difference between the votes cast for the candidate who won the election with the least votes and the candidate who lost the election with the most votes is less than or equal to one-half of one percent of the votes cast for the candidate who won the election with the least votes. Recount occurs ONLY after the canvass board has certified the original vote count. 

Check out the sample numbers at the link to see more about how it would work.

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Almost two weeks after the elections, Adams County released updated vote counts earlier today that answer one more question about the Colorado House of Representatives' Democratic majority. Rep. Joseph Salazar, who was caught in an unexpectedly close race against Republican challenger Carol Beckler, has finally moved out of range of an automatic recount, now by .98%–221 votes for those keeping score.

The other close House race in Adams County, in HD-30 between JoAnn Windholz and Rep. Jenise May, narrowed ever-so-slightly from the last released vote count, with May still trailing by 106 votes. By our math, that puts Windhols outside the automatic recall margin. As razor-thin as a 106-vote margin may be, it could mean the end of this race unless somebody ponies up to pay for a recount.

It's not a perfectly satisfying outcome for either side, but it could be worse: in 2010, it was also mid-November before the final House race was called–and with it control of the House. Today, these are the final pieces on a chessboard whose basic makeup we already know. Congratulations to the winners, and everybody else whose blood pressure will go down as a result.